


Two Sides of the Same Coin

by Elioren



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Demon AU, Demons, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, I can't tag everything or it'll have spoilers, Sassy Alya, Ya'll wanted this so here it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-14 10:44:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9178225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elioren/pseuds/Elioren
Summary: An angel boy and a demon girl. What happens when these two are sent to Earth and raised as humans?





	1. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a poll on Tumblr for a Gangster AU or a Demon/Angel AU, and both were pretty even. So, I'll just do both! (I'm starting this one first though)  
> NOTES:  
> In this work, Marinette and Adrien DON'T like each other (at least in the beginning).  
> Cover made by me (But I didn't draw the original image!)

 

_In the beginning, there were seven gods. They created the earth, the sky, and all creatures that walked its soil. Every thousand years, each god chose a human to bless with their powers of luck, creation, prosperity, truth, beauty, happiness, and peace. However, they did not always see eye to eye. Some disagreed with the mortals the others chose, claiming they were not good candidates and would abuse their power. These disagreements escalated into arguments and eventually, the gods were at war with each other. The gods of creation, truth, and prosperity became twisted, full of hatred and resentment towards the other gods._

_They were outcast from the heavens, though they still retained their powers. However, they had changed. The outcast gods now claimed the powers of destruction, lies, and greed. Both the fallen gods and heavenly gods created their own races, angels and demons. Neither could choose a human to pass their powers to anymore, so they chose from them._

_As the cycle drew near once again, the gods of luck and destruction found two babies, a boy and a girl, both still unborn. The boy was an angel with beautiful golden hair and eyes as green as lucky clovers, and the girl was a demon with hair like the night and eyes like the sea. The gods were drawn to the two of them, both deciding that they were to be their chosen ones._

_However, not all went as planned. The two children were born at the same moment, and during their births, their powers were switched. The angel boy was given the power of destruction, and the demon girl was given the power of luck._

_The two gods, Tikki and Plagg, were dumbfounded by the event, unsure of what to do. In order to come up with a solution, Tikki allowed Plagg to meet with her in secret. Though Plagg didn’t hate all the other gods, he preferred to keep to himself. After much bickering, they decided to send both children to Earth, where they would grow up as humans, blissfully unaware of their powers._

 

* * *

 

“Marinette, did you finish Miss Bustier's cupcake order?”

“Yes, _Maman!”_ Marinette rushed downstairs into the bakery, where her mother was waiting for her. She went into the back kitchen and emerged with two boxes of red velvet cupcakes for Miss Bustier, her teacher, who was standing at the front counter.

“Thank you, Marinette,” Miss Bustier said. “They look lovely!” She opened the box, which had the golden “T & S” logo on the top.

“Thanks!” Marinette smiled and waved at the woman as she left the Dupain-Cheng bakery, carrying her cupcakes to her car. Almost immediately after she left, Marinette began to run back upstairs.

“Not so fast, little lady,” her mother called, “You still have work to do. Don’t even _think_ about skipping out on it like you did yesterday.”

“Yes, _Maman.”_ Marinette sulked back down into the bakery and took her pink polka dot apron off the hook, placing it over her head.

“I’ll need you to make two cakes, one chocolate, one vanilla.” She held out a box to Marinette and continued, “Then, you need to take these croissants to the Agreste residence.”

“Agreste?” She groaned, “As in Adrien Agreste?”

“Yes?” Her mother questioned, confused by her daughter’s sudden displeasure.

“Sabine?” Marinette’s father called from the back of the shop.

“Yes, Tom?” Her mother replied.

“Did Mrs. Chamack pick up her order yet?”

“No, I’ll call her and check up.” Sabine walked into the back with Tom to make the phone call, leaving Marinette to make the cakes. Within an hour and a half, both cakes were baked and decorated, each with their own celebratory message on top. At last, the moment she had been dreading had arrived.

Marinette wouldn’t say she hated Adrien Agreste, honestly, she had no reason to. The guy was drop dead gorgeous with his bright blonde hair and striking green eyes. On top of that, he was multi-talented, being fluent in Chinese, able to play a multitude of instruments, and was a model for _Agreste Fashion._ In reality, she should adore him, as most people do. But there was always something about him that irritated her, though she didn’t know what it was. However, she wasn’t alone on this. Adrien seemed to be annoyed by her presence as well, despite the two rarely ever talking.

So why, if he hated her so much, did he order croissants from her parent’s bakery? Marinette shook her head and sighed. Nothing she could do about it now, so it’s better to just get it over with. She took the box of pastries and headed outside into the spring afternoon, unhooking her bike from the rack. She placed the box in the wicker basket in front of the handlebars and hopped on, pushing off of the ground with her foot.

After about five minutes of riding, she arrived at the daunting Agreste mansion. Stepping off her bike, she grabbed the croissants and approached the intercom outside the gate. She rang it and was greeted by a female voice.

“Hello, what business do you have?” She asked, her voice monotone.

“Hi, I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Adrien ordered some croissants from my bakery.” There was a silence on the line, and for a second Marinette thought it had disconnected.

“Very well. I will open the gate.” Right on cue, the large metal structure swung open, allowing Marinette inside. She walked up the steps and knocked on the door, which opened to reveal the man himself, Adrien Agreste.

“Oh,” the blonde said, looking her up and down, “It’s you.” Marinette was annoyed by his immediate rudeness and thrust the box into his hands.

“Yes, and if you don’t want to see me, I would suggest you refrain from ordering from my bakery.” Adrien said nothing in response, merely digging into his pocket for some cash. When his hand emerged once again, he held twenty euros. Marinette took the money and turned on her heel, leaving without another word. She promptly hopped on her bike and rode away, glad to be away from his house.

 

* * *

 

The next day at school, Marinette sat down in her usual seat, which was unfortunately right behind Adrien’s. She had gotten to school late on the first day of classes, and it had been the only seat that was unoccupied. She took out her phone and waited for class to start, when suddenly Alya, her best friend, plopped in the seat next to her.

“Hey, girl!” She said, much too enthusiastically for a Monday morning.

“Hi, Alya,” Marinette replied, her exhaustion evident.

“What’s up? You look tired.”

“I am,” she said, rubbing her eye, “I was too busy seething in annoyance to sleep.”

“Uh oh,” Alya groaned, “Did something happen with Mr. Model?”

“You read my mind.” Marinette leaned back in her seat, preparing to tell Alya what happened. “He ordered croissants from my bakery and was rude when I delivered them. I didn’t even say anything to him first!”

“Damn, that would be annoying. I honestly don’t know what’s with you two, though. You have no reason to hate each other, yet you do. It makes no sense.” Alya turned her attention to the doorway, where Adrien and his friend, Nino, walked in. Leaning over to Marinette, she whispered in her ear. “Speak of the devil.”

Marinette turned her head to face the window, yet she could feel his eyes on her. He didn’t stare for too long though, taking his seat soon after. Miss Bustier walked into the classroom, setting her papers down on her desk to begin the lecture.

The day went on fairly normally, though Marinette did her best to avoid crossing paths with Adrien again. When she got home, Sabine lit up.

“Ah! Marinette,” she said, “Mrs. Chamack wants to know if you can babysit Manon tonight. It’s her and Mr. Chamack’s anniversary.”

“Sure,” Marinette replied, “I just have to finish some homework and I’ll head over. Give her a call for me, okay?”

“Sure thing, honey.” Marinette went upstairs to do her History homework. Luckily, that was all she had to do, and she finished in thirty minutes. She headed back downstairs and went outside to unhook her bike, riding to the Chamack’s house.

When she arrived, Manon jumped on her with excitement.

“Marinette! I missed you!” The little girl squealed.

“I missed you too, Manon,” Marinette replied, setting her down on the floor. Mrs. and Mr. Chamack walked over to greet her, grabbing their stuff as they did.

“Thank you so much, Marinette,” Mrs. Chamack said, “You’re a lifesaver. Our other babysitter bailed on us at the last minute.”

“It’s alright, I’m glad to help!”

“Make sure she’s in bed by eight, though we might not be back until later,” Mr. Chamack informed.

“No problem, have a nice night!” Marinette waved at them as they got into their car and drove away. The rest of the evening was spent playing with Manon and reviewing her homework. After Manon was put to bed (but not without Marinette making her dolls sing a lullaby), Marinette sat on the couch to read a book she had brought with her. Eventually, she drifted off as she waited for the Chamacks to return.

A few hours later, Marinette was shaken awake by someone. When she opened her eyes, she realized it was Mrs. Chamack.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette!” She exclaimed, “We didn’t mean to stay out so late, we just lost track of time.” Marinette turned on her phone screen, noticing the time was 12:42 AM.

“It’s alright,” she said, still slightly asleep, “I’m glad you had a good time.” Marinette stood and stretched, savoring the satisfying feeling of her bones popping. “Well, I’d better get home. I have some stuff to do before school tomorrow.”

“Alright, be safe!” She called. Marinette headed outside into the chilly night and unhooked her bicycle.  She got on, but the front tire wobbled and made her stop. Leaning down, she discovered it was flat.

 _Oh, great,_ she thought with annoyance. Walking back to the door, she informed Mrs. Chamack of what happened. They agreed to have Mr. Chamack fix her bike and Marinette could pick it up in the morning. Luckily, her house wasn’t too far, so she could just walk. As she was heading back, she came across a construction zone.

 _Huh, they must have started it after I got there._ She turned into an alleyway, attempting to go around the area. As she walked further and further down the corridor, the moonlight grew more and more obscured by the buildings, making it darker and reducing her visibility. She took her phone out of her purse and turned the flashlight on so she wouldn’t trip on something in the dark. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

 

Someone was following her.

 

* * *

 

Adrien walked with his hands in his pockets, attempting to clear his thoughts. He and his father had gotten into another argument after he had been caught eating the croissants. Adrien was on a very strict diet, eating a croissant exceeded his daily carbohydrates.

 

_“Eating a little snack once in awhile won’t make me gain weight, Father!”_

_“First it’s a snack, then more junk, and before you know it, you’ll have gained ten pounds! You’re a model, Adrien, you have to consider these things.”_

_“But Father-”_

_“No buts! I will not continue this conversation.”_

 

Adrien sighed, thinking back on what happened. He knew his father was being unfair but he couldn’t act against his wishes. He turned a corner and came upon some construction, fumbling as he nearly stepped into the wet cement.

 _Whoops, better go around._ He walked into a nearby backstreet and continued onward. It was late at night so it was difficult to see, but he could see a light at the other end of the pathway. Squinting, he was able to make out the figure of a small girl.

 _Is that… Marinette?_ He ducked behind a corner to avoid being spotted. _What are you doing, you idiot?_ He thought to himself, _Sure, you don’t get along with her. But why are you hiding?_ As Marinette walked closer to his hiding spot, he noticed the panicked expression on her face. Just as he was contemplating what was wrong with her, he saw a shadow lurking in the darkness behind the girl.

 _A stalker?_ He thought. Sure, he didn’t like Marinette, but he didn’t want her to get hurt. As she passed the dumpster he was crouched behind, he jumped out in front of the shadow, stopping it in its tracks. However, he was not expecting the sight before him.

A creature stood across from him, baring its sharpened teeth at Adrien. It was almost human but had red horns and scales adorning its huge body. It’s large wings spread open, making it appear even bigger. It was at least seven–No,– eight feet tall. Marinette had turned around, noticing Adrien behind her.

“Adrien?” She asked, suddenly seeing the looming figure in front of him, “W-WHAT IS _THAT?!”_ The creature, enraged by her loud voice, roared at the two teenagers. Adrien grabbed Marinette by the arm, pulling her down the alley.

“Run!” He shouted, and Marinette was happy to oblige. They bolted away from the creature as fast as possible, twisting and turning in an attempt to keep it off their trail. Suddenly, Adrien pulled on her arm sharply, catching her by surprise. She stepped on a glass bottle and tripped, slamming into the cobbled floor.

“Marinette! Are you alright?” He asked, rushing back to where she had fallen.

“Y-yeah… But we’d better hurry!” She stood and continued running, but the two soon found themselves trapped at a dead end. She could hear the loud flapping of the creature’s wings approaching, but it was faster than they had anticipated. It landed on the ground in front of them, knocking over some boxes and cutting off their exit. They were trapped, pinned between the wall and the monster. It took no chances, immediately swinging its clawed hand down over Adrien’s head.

“No!”

Marinette jumped in front of him, holding her hand out above her head in defense. A blinding light burst from her palm, illuminating the alley and catching the monster off guard. It fell backward and landed on the cold stone beneath it. Howling in pain, it reopened its large black wings and took off, leaving Marinette and Adrien behind in the alley.

“What the hell was that, Marinette?” Adrien stood behind her, awestruck.

“I… I don’t know…” She stared at her palm, opening and closing it as the tingling sensation faded.

“Well, let’s figure that out later. We need to find a way out of here before that thing comes back.” The barrier was too tall for them to climb, so that idea was out. He approached the wall of boxes and attempted to push them over, but they must have been loaded with gold. The crates wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he pushed.

“Damn it!” He shouted, frustrated and terrified. He punched the boxes in anger, on the verge of giving up. However, several of the boxes around his fist bust, disintegrating into a plume of jet black smoke.

“Adrien… You did that?” Marinette asked, stepping up behind him.

“I’m not sure… We need to go, come on!” He grabbed her arm once again, the two running down the corridor and finally returning to the street. They didn’t stop until they arrived at Marinette’s house, heading up the stairs as fast as they could without waking her parents. Marinette locked the hatch to her bedroom, placing a chair on top for good measure. Adrien sat on her chaise lounge, head in his hands.

“What happened back there?” He asked, voice slightly muffled by his palms. “What was that thing?” Marinette walked to her windows, closing the curtains on each one tightly. Once all the curtains were shut, she sat on the floor by Adrien’s feet, knees pulled up to her chest.

“I don’t know… Adrien, what did we do back there?”

“You shot a light out of your hand, and I destroyed some boxes. That’s the extent of my knowledge.” He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to process the situation. Marinette, on the other hand, was having trouble coping. Tears fell from her bright blue eyes, dripping onto the floor. Adrien shot her a worried look, moving to sit on the ground with her.

“I was… so s-scared,” she sniffled.

“Hey, it’s alright,” he said, attempting to comfort her. “That thing is gone, you’re safe now.” He leaned towards her in an attempt to give her an awkward hug, their foreheads brushing lightly. He recoiled as soon as he made contact, a stinging feeling spreading throughout his temples. From their chests burst two lights, red and green. They covered their eyes to avoid being blinded, but luckily it faded quickly. Adrien was the first to lower his hand, looking around the room. When he saw nothing, a small voice piped up from next to him.

 

“Ahem, excuse me. Down here?”

 

He looked towards the source of the voice and found a small black sprite with cat-like green eyes and black cat ears.

“AH!” Adrien shouted, jumping back onto the couch. “WHAT IS THAT?” He glanced over at Marinette, who was staring dumbfounded at a sprite of her own. Unlike his, Marinette’s was red with black spots, sky blue eyes glaring at the black creature.

“Plagg,” the red creature said, “You can’t just surprise them like that.”

“Whatever.” The black sprite, which Adrien assumed was named Plagg, seemed never disinterested with the situation.

“You must forgive his behavior, he’s not a people person. My name’s Tikki!” The red sprite introduced herself as if everything was okay.

“What are you?” Marinette finally said, though her voice was shaking.

“Don’t be afraid, we’re not like that demon from before,” Tikki explained, “We’re Kwami. We’re gods that created the world and everything in it.”

“Okay…” She said. This was by far the least strange thing that had happened tonight. “And what are you doing in my room?”

“When your foreheads touched, it created a link between you two. We used that link to travel here.” She glanced over at Plagg, who was attempting to nap on the chaise and shook him awake. “Plagg! You’re a part of this too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he groaned, stretching his tiny arms.

“These aren’t our usual forms,” she continued, “But seeing the true form of a god can kill a mortal. Though, that’s not exactly what you two are either.”

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, finally speaking up.

“You, Adrien, are an angel. Marinette, you’re a demon.” Marinette furrowed her brow, confused by what she meant.

“A...Demon?” She asked, looking at her hands. “I’m like that thing from before?”

“No, not exactly. You’re what’s known as a cambion. It’s someone that’s half demon, half human.”

“Which of my parents is a demon then?”

“Neither. You’re… you’re adopted. Both of you are.” Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, hoping one of them had known beforehand. Unfortunately, the shock on their faces showed that neither knew.

“Tikki, that’s enough.” Plagg finally jumped into the conversation. “Let the kids sleep, they’ve had a long day.”

“Alright, we’ll explain the rest in the morning,” the red sprite said, “Adrien, you should stay here tonight, it’s not safe out there.”

“O-okay…” He and Marinette were still numb with shock, neither making any moves to prepare for bed. Noticing this, Tikki sighed. She floated across the room to a chest, opening it to reveal several extra blankets and pillows. Plagg went over to help her, the two lifting the blanket out of the chest and over to the chaise. Marinette went up to her loft, still silent. Adrien fell back onto the lounge where Tikki pulled the blanket over him. The two teens were so exhausted that as soon as their heads hit the pillows, they passed out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was an alright first chapter! Leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> Follow me on my Tumblr for updates on my works! (elioren.tumblr.com)


	2. Faces in the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is a lot more popular than I thought it'd be! Thank you all so much! <3

 

Marinette woke up before the sun rose, her back sore from tossing and turning all night. She didn’t sleep well, that was a given. Her dreams were flooded with images of the demon’s horrifying face from the night before, haunting her until she didn’t dare close her eyes again. She went to reach for her phone to check the time, but it wasn’t in its usual spot next to her pillow.

 _I must have dropped it when that thing chased us._ She sat up on her bed and began descending the steps and observed the blonde sleeping on her chaise, which confirmed the events from the night prior. Hearing her moving around, Adrien stirred awake.

“Ngh… Morning,” he groaned.

“Morning.” Marinette walked over to her chest and noticed the kwamis had decided to sleep in there. Tikki opened one doll-like eye at her, but Plagg stayed sound asleep.

“Hello, Marinette,” she said.

“H-hi…” The girl still doubted the existence of these pint-sized gods, hoping it was just a hallucination. Can people even have two-day hallucinations? Whatever the case, if they really were gods, she wasn’t about to strike a bad chord with them.

“Plagg,  get up.” The tiny red creature kicked the other, who grumbled a few choice curses.

“So,” said Adrien, who had walked over to join them, “Are you guys going to explain a bit more in depth about what we are?”

“Yes, you are an angel and a half-demon, which is why you dislike each other so much,” Tikki reiterated, “But that’s not all you are. Every thousand years, the kwami choose someone to bestow their powers upon. However, Plagg, the god of creation, was banished from the heavens along with the gods of truth and prosperity. They are now the gods of destruction, lies, and greed.”

“It was a bad time for all of us,” Plagg added.

“Yes,” Tikki continued, “And the banished gods can only give their powers to demons, and the heavenly gods can only give their powers to angels. But you two were born at the exact same moment, and your powers got reversed. Marinette was supposed to have the power of destruction, and Adrien should have had luck.”

“Cut to the chase already,” groaned Plagg.

“I’m getting there! Anyways, you two are turning sixteen soon, correct?”

“Yeah, March 23rd,” Marinette said. Adrien nodded, as that was his birthday as well, just one week away.

“When you reach 16, your powers will be fully matured. That’s why a demon came after you last night, it could sense your manifesting powers and wanted them for itself. Your abilities finally shone through when you two felt strong bursts of emotion, Marinette wanting to protect Adrien, and Adrien wanting to get Marinette somewhere safe.”

“Don’t you control the demons?” Asked Adrien.

“No,” Plagg answered, “We reside over them but do not control them. Taking free will away from something would be inhumane.”

Tikki nodded and continued, “We sent you here because it wouldn’t be safe where you were. Marinette’s heavenly powers would likely have caused her to be killed at a young age by evil creatures, and the heavenly gods would have been forced to banish Adrien to hell with the demons.”

“Though,” Plagg stated, “Our solution probably wasn’t much better.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.

“If you hadn’t grown up on Earth, we would have been able to teach you about your powers from when you were kids. You would have more knowledge and understanding of them, and we wouldn’t be in this situation right now,” Plagg informed. Marinette let everything they told them to sink in, letting her gaze wander to the window.

“Adrien, the sun’s almost up! You should get home before someone finds you missing,” She told him. Adrien glanced over at the window, confirming what she said.

“Crap, you’re right.” Adrien stood up and grabbed his phone from the chaise, but Plagg stopped him from leaving.

“Not so fast, kid,” the sprite said, “I’m sticking with you. By the way, make sure you two don’t tell anyone about what we told you.” Adrien shrugged, too tired to really care much. Marinette opened the hatch for him and walked down to her front door.

“I’ll see you at school?” He asked, not really making eye contact with her.

“Y-yeah…” She said, taken aback by his question. Of course he’d see her at school, she sits right behind him. She closed the door and locked it, heading back up to her room after. She flopped into her desk chair, immediately looking up everything she could find on demons and angels.

 

* * *

 

Luckily, Marinette’s school wasn’t far from her house. She took her time getting there, even more exhausted than she had been the day before. She let Tikki ride along in her purse in case something happened while she was out. Once she finally reached her classroom, she passed Adrien on her way to her seat. The two made eye contact but said nothing to each other, which was interrupted by Alya calling her friend.

“Hey, Marinette! I texted you this morning but you didn’t reply.”

Marinette sat down next to her and placed her pink backpack on the table. “Oh, sorry. I lost my phone last night.” She noticed Adrien flinch ever so slightly, an action that would go unnoticed by anyone else.

“What? How?” Alya asked, “You’re always so cautious about not losing your stuff.”

“I had to babysit Manon and my bike had a flat tire, so I had to walk home. I must have dropped it on the way.”

“You should go look for it after school. I would help you but I have to run errands for my mom later,” Alya said with regret.

“It’s alright,” Marinette assured her, “I think I know where I dropped it anyways.” Miss Bustier walked into the classroom, halting any conversations that were going on.

“Good Morning, everyone,” the teacher said, “Pass your history homework up to the front and we’ll start the class.” Marinette fished her homework out of her bag, smoothing out the wrinkles on the page. She turned around and grabbed the stack of papers from Nathaniel and handed them to Adrien, but stopped when she felt his hand on her wrist.

“I’m coming with you to find your phone,” he said, his voice low.

“I don’t need your help,” Marinette replied haughtily.

“I wasn’t asking you for permission.”

“Adrien,” Miss Bustier called, “Is there a problem?”

“No, ma’am.” He turned back around in his seat and handed her the homework, returning his attention to the board.

“What the hell was that, Mari?” Alya whispered.

“It’s nothing.” Her tone was firm, clearly conveying that she was in no mood to be interrogated. Alya did as she wished and backed off, although it was partially due to Miss Bustier glaring at them for the front of the room.

 

* * *

 

Classes went the same as usual, save for the glances Adrien was giving her every once in awhile. Marinette peeked out from the locker room, checking to see if the coast was clear. When she didn’t see anyone in the courtyard, she ducked around the door and headed out of school.

“Marinette!” She heard a voice call once she got to the bottom of the steps.

 _Damn it._ Marinette turned around, glaring at the blonde that was walking up to her.

“I told you, I don’t need any help.”

“And I told _you_ that I’m not giving you a choice.” Adrien threw his bag over his shoulder, turning to walk in the direction of the alley. Marinette rolled her eyes at his back. She couldn’t stop him from following her, so she might as well just get it over with.

The walk to the alley was spent in near silence, the only noise coming from their footsteps and passing cars. When they arrived, Marinette went to the place where she had tripped the night before. Sure enough, her phone was there next to the wall. Miraculously, there wasn’t a single scratch on it.

“Did you find it?” Adrien asked.

“Yeah, I’m lucky it’s not broken.”

“Alright, want to head back?”

“Not yet, I have to make one more stop.” She kept walking further down the path, heading back to the Chamack’s house. Noticing that Adrien was still following her, she stopped in her tracks.

“You don’t have to come with me,” she said, “I’m just picking something up from someone.”

“Alright, but I’m going to come anyways.” Adrien continued walking past her, exiting the alley. Marinette shook her head in exasperation. He was stubborn, that’s for sure.

They arrived at the house and rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Marinette looked around, noticing that their car was missing.

“Huh, they must still be out. I’ll write them a note.” She took some paper and a pen out of her backpack and scribbled down a message informing them that she came by to pick up her bicycle. Adrien leaned over her shoulder, looking at the note.

“You’ve got really nice handwriting,” he said, noticing her elegant penmanship.

“Th-thanks,” she replied, unsure of how to take a compliment from him. Marinette placed the paper on the doorknob, heading over to the back of the house to retrieve her bike. Sure enough, Mr. Chamack had replaced her tire, making it as good as new. She took the bike out to the street, where Adrien was waiting for her.

“Want me to pedal?” He said.

“What?” She asked, not understanding what he meant.

“The bike, I’ll ride you home,” he clarified.

“Don’t you have a chauffeur?”

“I do, but it’s not as fun. It’s been too long since I last rode a bike.”

“Fine, but don’t go too slow.” Adrien nodded, grabbing the handlebars to swing his leg over the seat. Marinette was much shorter than him, so his feet were flat on the ground whereas she was only able to touch her toes. She sat on the back of the bike, supported by a metal strip above the tire. Marinette let her feet dangle to one side and placed her hands on Adrien’s shoulders.

“You’re going to fall off if you don’t hang on,” Adrien said.

“I’m fine.”

“Suit yourself.” He leaned forward, pushing off of the ground with force. Marinette was flung backward, nearly slipping off like he had predicted. She wrapped her hands around his waist, clinging on so she didn’t fall. Adrien laughed, more genuinely than she had ever heard him laugh before. She felt the laugh reverberate from his back into her body, where she found that a giggle of her own was surfacing.

 _Wait, what are you doing?_ She mentally scolded herself, _This is Adrien Agreste._ Marinette shook her head to clear her thoughts, relaxing her hold on Adrien slightly. He rode back to her house, only taking a few minutes with his strong legs. Once they arrived, Marinette hopped off the bike, followed shortly by Adrien.

“You can ride it home if you want,” she said, “Just give it back to me tomorrow at school.”

“You sure?” He asked.

“Yeah, it’s not like I need to ride to school anyways.” She gestured at the school for emphasis, which was only across the street. Adrien nodded and said his thanks, riding off towards his house. Marinette entered the bakery, looking around for her parents. Luckily, they seemed to be in the back baking, so she snuck a few cookies into her purse for Tikki. She had no idea if Kwami even liked cookies, but it was worth a shot. When she reached her bedroom, Tikki immediately jumped out of her purse.

“Marinette!” The sprite shouted, “What were those? They were delicious!”

“Chocolate chip cookies. We own a bakery, so they’re never in short supply.”

“Cookies…” Tikki said, her eyes dreamy. Marinette giggled, amused by the tiny deity. She set her bag down next to her desk, plugged in her phone, and began working on her homework for the night. As soon as her cellphone was at 1% battery, the poor thing chimed more times than she would have thought possible.

_Alya 7:32 AM: Hey girl! Hope you’re not as tired as you were yesterday! I wanted to hang with you later but my mom is making me go to the store for her._

_Alya 7:56 AM: I really hope you’re not asleep. School starts in fifteen minutes._

_Alya 3:26 PM: Hope you found your phone, if not I’ll help you look tomorrow._

_Alya 4:01 PM: MARI_

_Alya 4:01 PM: WHAT THE SHIT_

_Alya 4:01 PM: WAS THAT YOU_

_Alya 4:02 PM: I JUST SAW YOU ON A BIKE WITH ADRIEN FROM MY CAR_

_Alya 4:02 PM: GIRL YOU’VE GOT A WORLD OF EXPLAINING TO DO_

_Alya 4:02 PM: I THOUGHT YOU HATED HIM_

_Alya 4:03 PM: JUST YESTERDAY YOU WERE LOSING SLEEP CAUSE YOU WERE SO ANNOYED_

_Alya 4:03 PM: WHY ARE YOU BEING ALL CUTESY WITH HIM_

_Alya 4:25 PM: Alright, I’ve calmed down slightly. BUT YOU STILL GOTTA EXPLAIN._

Marinette’s eyes widened in shock. Why, of all streets in Paris, did Alya have to drive down the same one they did? She raised her phone back up and began typing her response.

_Marinette 5:47 PM: Hey, I found my phone. Yeah, that was me. Adrien insisted he should go with me to find my phone, then he rode me home on my bike. That’s all there is to it._

Alya’s response was so immediate that her phone vibrated before she even set it down.

_Alya 5:48 PM: Mhm. Suuuuure. “All there is to it.” I’ll have you know that I have been honing my reporting skills for this exact moment._

_Marinette 5:50 PM: Have you now?_

_Alya 5:51 PM: Well, I didn’t have this particular scenario in mind, but yes. Trust me, I’ll find out what you’re up to._

_Marinette 5:52 PM: Good luck with that. I’ve gotta do homework now, ttyl._

_Alya 5:53 PM: Same, see ya :P_

Marinette sighed and set her phone down, turning her attention to the textbook in front of her.

“ _Physics Chapter 7: Motion and Forces,”_ she recited aloud. Preparing her mind for an hour of boredom, she began working.

 

* * *

 

Adrien got home about five minutes after dropping off Marinette, bringing her bike inside the gate. He headed up the marble steps and entered his house, looking around for any sign of his father. When he saw none, he dashed upstairs into his room, not giving his father a chance to catch him. Plagg jumped out of his messenger bag once they got into his bedroom, floating around the gargantuan space.

“Hey, kid,” the kwami said, “Got any camembert?”

“Camembert?” Adrien asked, surprised he would ask for such a smelly cheese.

“Yeah. Cam-em-bert.” He put emphasis on each of the syllables, irritating Adrien. Regardless, the blonde called for Nathalie, his father’s assistant, to bring him some camembert. She arrived with the cheese on the tray, asking no questions about Adrien’s strange tastes.

“Here,” he said, opening the round box for Plagg. He flew over and immediately began devouring the “treat,” even licking the box clean. Adrien sighed in annoyance; his room was going to smell like cheese for a week. He began working on the physics homework for the night, trying to find something to occupy his mind with. If he stopped to think about his (and Marinette’s) situation, there would be no way he’d be able to contain the torrent of questions he would unleash on Plagg.

Adrien finished his work early, deciding to play video games for the remainder of the night. He crossed the room to his flat screen and grabbed his copy of _Devil May Cry 3,_ picking up where he had left off last. He played for several hours, hacking and slashing away at the in-game demons. He even managed to beat his high score–several times over.

Adrien glanced at his clock, noticing it was nearly midnight. _Man, how’d it get to be so late?_ He saved his game and went to change into his sweatpants and t-shirt. As he crawled into bed, he reached over to his bedside table and turned the lights off with a remote. In the silent darkness, Adrien stared up at the ceiling, finally allowing himself to look back on the events of the past few days. Suddenly, something occurred to him.

“Hey, Plagg–” Adrien looked over at where he had been sitting before, but the sprite was sound asleep.

_Oh well. I can just ask him in the morning._

 

* * *

_Scratch… Scratch… CRASH!_

Marinette’s eyes shot opened as glass shattered around her bed. She looked up at the sunroof that leads to her balcony, noticing a dark purple mass crawling in from the broken window. The horrifying figure was made of only bloody arms and faces, each one reaching out to grab her. The faces screamed at her, but each one mimicked the appearance and voice of someone she knew; Alya, her parents, Nino, and even Adrien.

 _“Marinette, come help ussss,”_ the face of Alya whispered.

 _“We need you, Marinette,”_ her parents added.

The creature expelled a cloud of gas, paralyzing the girl. She was unable to run or even scream, and could only gaze in horror at the thing before her. One of the arms grabbed her wrist, pulling her up with it. Though she couldn’t speak, one name kept running through her mind over and over.

_Adrien, help me!_

 

* * *

_Marinette!_

Adrien sat up with lightning speed, waking up Plagg.

“Kid, what’s wrong?” The kwami asked, noticing his panicked expression. Adrien shot out of bed, running to find his shoes.

“It’s Marinette, she’s in trouble!” He threw on his red sneakers, not even bothering to tie the laces. He ran out of his bedroom and down the stairs, bursting through the entrance. Adrien grabbed Marinette’s bicycle and sped off towards her house, going as fast as his legs could take him.

He arrived within three minutes, tossing the bike on the ground. Perhaps it was inconsiderate of him since it wasn’t even his, but he didn’t care at this point. The only thing on his mind was the dark-haired girl in the building above him. He ran to the back door, but it was obviously locked. He contemplated breaking it down, but Plagg stopped him.

“Here, let me.” He placed his tiny hand on the lock and Adrien heard it click open. He ran to the third floor of the Dupain-Cheng house, throwing the hatch to Marinette’s room open. On the ceiling, Adrien saw a creature far worse than what they had experienced in the alley, its purple body dripping blood onto the bed. He scanned the room for Marinette but didn’t see her anywhere. He looked back up at the creature and his eyes widened in rage.

Marinette was embedded within its body, the purple mass wrapped around her torso. She stared down at him in fear, her eyes conveying more than words could. Adrien ran up to the loft and grabbed her foot, attempting to free her from its grasp. Several of the faces on the monster morphed, changing into his mother and father.

 _“Adrien, my sssweet,”_ the distorted face of his mother hissed, _“Why are you helping her? She’s a demon, and you’re an angel.”_

 _“My ssson, do not defy me,”_ Gabriel Agreste glared down at him, eyes as cold as always.

“Shut up!” He yelled, knowing these were not the real people. He continued pulling on Marinette’s leg, though he couldn’t release its grip on her. He tried punching it, but Plagg suddenly yelled over the creature’s screams.

“Adrien! Say ‘cataclysm!’ ” Though he would normally doubt Plagg’s words, he did as he said.

_“CATACLYSM!”_

Adrien’s hand erupted in black smoke that coiled around his fingers. Immediately, he knew what it was for. He shoved his hand towards the monster, his palm covering the face of his father. The creature let out a blood-curdling scream and exploded, disintegrating into ash. He caught Marinette’s falling body, cradling her head in his arms. Once the creature was dead, her paralysis wore off.

“Marinette, are you okay?” He asked frantically.

“A-Adrien,” she gasped, “How did you know?”

“I’m not sure. I just heard your voice calling for me, and I got here as fast as I could. Where’s Tikki?”

“I’m right here,” the sprite answered, climbing out from behind a pillow.

“Why didn’t you help her?” Adrien demanded. “I thought you two were supposed to be gods.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Adrien,” Tikki said calmly, “We can only use our powers when we are in our true forms.”

Though he understood, he was still irritated. “Wasn’t there anything you could do?”

“No, the only thing I could have done was get you.” He looked back down at Marinette, who was staring up at him.

“Why could I hear you calling for me?”

This time, it was Plagg that spoke. “Remember yesterday when you summoned us through the link you created?” Adrien and Marinette both nodded. “Well, that’s what that is. You two formed it when you needed each other most, and can use it in the same way.” Adrien glanced at Marinette’s wall clock, noticing that it was nearly four in the morning.

“If this keeps up, we’ll drop from exhaustion,” he jested. Marinette giggled weakly and attempted to sit up, but placed her hand on her side in agony.

“Ah!” She cried, “D-did that thing get me?” She pulled up her shirt, noticing that her right hip was covered in dark purple, almost like a bruise.

“What is that?” Adrien asked.

“It marked her,” Plagg informed, “Now all of its buddies will be able to find her easily.” Marinette’s eyes widened in fear. Would she have to deal with those every night? Adrien noticed her expression and put his hand on her shoulder, looking straight into her sky blue eyes.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” he said, giving her a genuine smile.

“I thought we would’ve had more time,” Tikki said, “But it looks like we have no choice.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.

“It means," she continued, "We’ll need to start training you two immediately.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hoped to make this a little longer, but it just seemed like a good place to leave it off on. Thank you all for the wonderful comments and kudos you've been leaving! I love reading each and every one! :D
> 
> Follow me on my Tumblr for updates on my works! (elioren.tumblr.com)


	3. "You're Important to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Back with another chapter for ya'll! I'm really enjoying this work, a lot more than my other ones (THATS NOT TO SAY I DIDN'T LOVE WRITING LOCKED AWAY AND PIRATES).
> 
> So, without further ado, here is chapter three. c:

 

Adrien couldn’t leave Marinette alone after what happened. Now that they both knew that more creatures would be coming after her, the threat of attack was greater than ever. Marinette couldn’t sleep after that, which was understandable considering the situation they were faced with. They stayed up until the sun rose, when Adrien had to go back home to avoid suspicion from his father. He borrowed her bicycle once again, promising to return it at school.

“Tikki,” Marinette said once Adrien had left, “Why is it that demons are only coming after me and not Adrien?”

The red kwami looked up from her cookie, debating her answer. “You have their blood running through your veins, and comparatively, it wouldn’t be as hard for them to siphon power from you. Demons are fueled by greed, but they also look for the easiest solution.”

Marinette nodded, sort of understanding what she meant. Luckily, the demons didn’t seem to attack during the day, so she didn’t need to be as cautious once the sun came up. However, the second it dipped below the horizon, the game was on. She couldn’t kill the demons like Adrien could. In fact, she could barely defend herself. Marinette sighed, mentally preparing herself for the day ahead. Though she was still apprehensive about calling Adrien her friend, he had saved her multiple times, and for that she was grateful. Perhaps she could give him a chance, albeit a small one.

When seven o’clock rolled around, Marinette began getting ready for school. She took a shower, noticing that the bruise hadn’t gone away at all. Afterwards, she put her hair into her trademark pigtails and applied a thin layer of eyeliner and lipgloss. Her look was simple, though her natural beauty made up for a lack of makeup. She headed down into the kitchen for breakfast, preparing an array of excuses for when her parents asked about the sounds from the night before.

“Morning, honey,” her mother greeted. She set a plate of pancakes before her, syrup and butter already on the table.

“M-morning,” Marinette replied, surprised by how casual she was being. “Uhm, did you hear any weird noises last night?” She asked.

Sabine looked at her daughter in confusion. “Noises? No, I didn’t hear anything. Why?”

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly, thanking her lucky stars that she wasn’t going to be interrogated. Her mother shrugged it off and went downstairs into the bakery, where her father was already setting up the displays for the day. Marinette ate quickly, heading back upstairs to change into her day clothes. When she looked at her clock, the time read 7:47 AM. For once, she would actually be early to school. She put her homework and cellphone into her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. Tikki hopped into her purse, where Marinette had already placed a stash of chocolate chip cookies for the day.

Arriving at school, she noticed Alya chatting with Nino and Adrien. Seeing her with Nino wasn’t much of a surprise, as they had been dating for a year, but she didn’t normally talk to Adrien out of respect for Marinette. Curious as to what the young reporter was up to, she tiptoed behind her and Nino, where only Adrien could see her.

“So, Mr. Model,” Alya teased, “What were you and Marinette doing yesterday?”

Adrien glanced over Alya’s shoulder at Marinette, who was glaring daggers at Alya’s back. “W-well,” he said, “I helped her find her phone and then rode her home on her bike.” Adrien gestured behind him, the sky blue bike leaning against the wall.

“Seemed like you two had quite a bit of fun on that bike.”

“I guess?”

Before the conversation could continue further, Marinette cleared her throat. Alya whipped her head around so quick her long hair nearly hit Marinette in the face.

“Mari! I was just-”

“Mhm, save it. I told you yesterday that nothing happened.” She was clearly annoyed with Alya for not believing her, but Alya wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

“Oh, come on. You can’t blame me for being curious.”

“I guess. Just trust me next time, alright?” Alya nodded and hugged Marinette in apology. They all went into their classroom and sat down, preparing for another day of boredom.

 

* * *

 

After classes ended, Marinette and Adrien left together. Tikki and Plagg had instructed them to go to Marinette’s house after school to practice their powers. Alya and Nino gave them some looks as they left, although they said nothing. The two headed into the bakery across the street, Sabine greeting them as they walked in.

“Welcome back-” She interrupted her own sentence when she saw the blonde boy walking with her. “Oh! Hello, Adrien!”

“Hello,” he said.

“Adrien came to help me with some homework. We’ll be upstairs.” Marinette headed into the back of the shop, passing her mother.

“Alright. Have fun, sweetie!” Sabine called. Tikki and Plagg emerged as soon as they closed the hatch to her room.

“Alright,” Tikki said, “Everyone prepare for lessons!” Marinette and Adrien sat down on her chaise lounge, prepared to listen intently. “First off, let’s establish your individual abilities. Adrien, as you saw last night, you can use your cataclysm power to destroy anything you touch with it. This will drain you if you use it too much, so be careful. Marinette, though you lack the ability to kill, you can heal yourself and others. At least, to some extent. If the wound is too deep, you might only be able to help a little bit.”

Plagg floated up to join her, wanting to say at least one thing. “You both have increased endurance and speed, though it varies from person to person depending on what god’s power you have.”

“What are all the gods' roles again?” Marinette asked.

“Luck, destruction, lies, greed, happiness, peace, and beauty,” Plagg answered.

“Marinette,” Tikki said, “You may not have offensive abilities, but you can use your healing light to stun enemies, like you did the night in the alley.”

Suddenly, Adrien spoke up. “Plagg, I’ve been wanting to ask you this since last night. You said I was an angel, right?”

“Yea?”

“Can I fly?”

“Sort of,” the kwami answered, “But you’ll need practice. And your angelic abilities will be weaker on earth, so you probably only be able to do it for a few seconds at a time.” This was more than enough to Adrien. After all, he just found out he could _fly_.

“How do we use our powers?” Marinette wondered.

“Try to focus your energy into your hands.” The two did as they were told. Marinette’s hand didn’t glow like it had before, but Adrien’s emitted a small black plume of smoke. “Now, you’ll need something to practice on.” Plagg looked around the room, his eyes settling on a pillow. “Adrien, catch!” He tossed it at the boy, who caught it in his hand. The pillow wasn’t destroyed entirely, but the pillowcase was a goner.

“Plagg!” Marinette yelled, “I made that pillowcase!”

“Sorry, not sorry,” the kwami replied monotonously. “Look, if you want to fix it, try healing it.” Marinette glared at him, but tried anyways. She pointed her hand at the disintegrated fabric and tried to focus, but she just couldn’t do it.

“Why isn’t it working?” She asked, looking up at Tikki.

“Not sure,” she answered, “It’ll come to you eventually, don’t worry. We can continue tomorrow if you want.” The kwami smiled down at her, but she was still disappointed in herself. Adrien patted her shoulder, trying to cheer her up.

“I’m sorry about your pillow,” he said with sincerity.

“It’s alright, I don’t blame you.” Marinette stood and went to her bag, pulling out her math textbook. As much as she hated it, they did still have homework to do.

Once they were finished, Marinette suggested they play video games. Adrien agreed, putting in her copy of _Ultimate Mecha Strike III._ Marinette destroyed him, whipping out maneuvers he had never seen before.

“Holy crap,” he said, his mouth hanging ajar, “That was amazing, Marinette!”

“It was nothing,” she said, clearly proud of herself.

Adrien looked at his phone, noticing that it was nearly time for him to leave. “Hey,” he said, “I’ve got to go soon… We should figure out what to do.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“The monsters are going to keep coming for you, and I’m not leaving you here alone.” His green eyes were determined, staring straight into hers.

“I don’t know,” Marinette said, looking away from his piercing gaze.

“I’ve got an idea,” chimed Tikki, “How about Adrien goes home and comes back after a few hours? Then he can spend the night here and head home before sunrise!”

“I like that idea,” Adrien said, giving Tikki a thumbs up.

“I don’t!” Marinette rose from her seat so she could stand above Adrien. “You’re going to lose a lot of sleep by doing that! You’ll be exhausted every day at school.”

Adrien stood as well, now towering over her. “If it means keeping you safe, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Marinette blushed at his words, covering her face with her hand. “You…”

“Uh- I mean! You’re important you know? To Alya and your parents… And me.” Adrien turned away from her, staring out of her window. Marinette said nothing in response, guilt flooding her thought from his confession. Okay, now she _definitely_ had to give him a chance at friendship.

“It’s okay, I get what you mean.” She began putting away the game controllers, seeing as they wouldn’t need them anymore. “If you do decide to come, there’s a spare key on top of the doorframe outside. And make sure you leave before five, That’s when my dad gets up to warm up the ovens downstairs.”

Adrien nodded and began gathering his things. “Alright, I should be here around eleven. I guess this means I’ll be borrowing your bike again?”

“What,” she scoffed, “You can’t fly here, Mr. Angel?”

“Would if I could, little imp.”

 

* * *

 

Adrien arrived precisely when he said he would, eleven on the dot. He grabbed the spare key from the atop doorframe and unlocked it, creeping up the stairs as quietly as possible. Luckily Tom and Sabine’s room was opposite of the living room, so he didn’t have to worry about waking them up. He walked up into Marinette’s room, noticing that she had left the hatch unlocked for him.

He stepped into her bedroom, seeing that all of the lights were off except one. Above her bed, her reading light was on, illuminating the loft. He climbed up the steps, only to find that the girl was sound asleep. Tikki opened her eyes at the sound of his footsteps and hovered over to him.

“Hello, Adrien,” she whispered.

“Hey. Did she just fall asleep?”

“She tried to wait up for you, but the poor girl is exhausted.”

“I don’t blame her. I would be too if I lost as much sleep as she did.” Though he had been kept up late as well, Marinette hadn’t been able to sleep at all after the first attack. He climbed up to her bunk and turned off her light, pulling her blanket over her shoulders a little more. He smiled down softly at the girl next to him, her black hair shining in the moonlight.

“Nuh-uh, kid,” Plagg said, joining him on the loft, “I see where this is going.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, not in any mood to be teased. “It’s not what you think. She’s just a friend.” The realization washed over him quickly. In just a few short days, she had managed to go from one of his worst enemies to someone he genuinely cared about.

He descended from the loft and went over to the chaise, where Marinette had left out a blanket and pillows for him. He so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he plopped down on the lounge.

 

* * *

 

Miraculously, no monsters attacked during the night. Adrien set his alarm for 4:30 AM, leaving him plenty of time before his father woke up for him to get back home. The loud beeping woke him up but spared Marinette, since she was on the other side of the room. He stretched and looked out the window, noticing the sun was still down. He folded the fleece blanket Marinette let him borrow and climbed up to her loft, gently shaking her awake.

“Marinette,” he whispered, trying not to startle the girl.

“Mnn…” Marinette groaned, smothering her face with the pillow.

Adrien snickered and shook his head. She was a known heavy sleeper, so he doubted he could wake her up without jumping on the bed. He climbed back down and went to her desk, ripping off a piece of paper from her notebook. He scribbled a quick message on it, so she would know that he was there.

 

> _Morning, sleepyhead_
> 
>  
> 
> _I tried to wake you up, but you seemed to be enjoying your dreams. I won’t disturb you, but I thought I should let you know that I did indeed come as I promised. You were out like a light when I got here, though Tikki did inform me that you tried to stay up until I arrived (how thoughtful of you)._
> 
>  
> 
> _Sincerely,_
> 
> _Your one and only guardian angel_

 

He chuckled to himself and placed the note on her chaise, waking up Plagg so they could depart.

 

* * *

 

Marinette slept incredibly well that night, better than she would care to admit. As she was getting ready for school, she noticed the slip of paper on top of the lounge. She read it, rolling her eyes at Adrien’s name for himself. Though, perhaps he was right. He kept getting her out of _incredibly_ sticky situations. Maybe he really was her guardian‒

No, that was something she _definitely_ didn’t want to call him. She was still reluctant to call him her friend, even though he had done more than enough to prove himself. In her defense, only three days ago she was delivering croissants to his house, and now they were sleeping in the same room together. Well, not _together_ together. Just near each other. Nothing else to it.

When Marinette finally arrived at school, Alya was once again chatting with Nino and Adrien on the front steps. Luckily, it seemed like it was normal conversation, centering around how Alya didn’t quite finish all of the homework that was assigned. In other words, she had done next to none of it.

“Mari! Hey, do me a solid and let me borrow your homework from last night?” Alya looked up at her with big hazel puppy-dog eyes, raising her eyebrows in an exaggerated manner. “Pleaaaase?”

“I… Oh all right.” Unfortunately, Alya knew all of her weaknesses, and puppy eyes were probably her biggest.

“Just like that?” Nino asked, astonished. “Man, Marinette. I thought you had more of a backbone.”

Marinette shrugged and fished her math notebook out of her backpack, handing it to Alya. Not two seconds later, the bell rang, signaling the start of classes.

“Crap!” Alya cursed, frantically flipping through the pages, “I don’t have enough time to copy it!” The group laughed at the desperate struggle of the procrastinator and filed into the classroom, taking their seats as Miss Bustier began roll call.

 

During lunch, Marinette begrudgingly let Alya talk her into sitting with Adrien and Nino. She wasn’t happy about it, but if she just avoided talking to him then just _maybe_ she could keep Alya from bringing up anything awkward. Things seemed to be working out in her favor, as Alya seemed pretty preoccupied with Nino. Marinette tried to follow their conversation, but the two of them just debated on and on about what catches someone’s attention in a news article: the title or the image. It wasn’t really up Marinette’s alley, so she allowed their voices to become white noise as she ate her sandwich.

“Hellooo, Earth to Marinette?”

Marinette snapped her head up, Alya’s voice pulling her out of her thoughts. “Sorry, what’d you say?”

“Adrien was going to go to the vending machine to get us drinks, what do you want?”

“Not sure, I don’t really know what they have stocked.”

“Why don’t you come with me?” The blonde offered.

“Yeah, Mari!” Alya chimed, nearly shoving her off the bench. Marinette glared at her, knowing where this was going. She wasn’t going to be outdone by Alya’s antics though, so she began striding over to the machine across the courtyard. Adrien followed closely behind her until they reached their destination.

“Iced tea for Alya,” he recited, pressing the buttons under each drink as he did, “Coke for Nino, and Sprite for me.” The bottles rolled into the dispenser at the bottom of the machine, ice cold and ready to be consumed.

Marinette looked at the options available, finally settling on chocolate milk. She took some coins out of her purse and reached for the slot, but a warm hand on her wrist stopped her.

“Let me,” he said, dropping his own money into it before she could object. He pressed the chocolate milk button, though she hadn’t even told him what she wanted yet. She didn’t know how he knew, but decided not to dwell on it for too long. Her drink was dispensed at the bottom, chilling Marinette’s hand as she took it. She grabbed one of the other bottles from Adrien in order to make their carrying load even. They began heading back to the bench where Nino and Alya were waiting, but something stopped Marinette in her tracks.

Suddenly, the short girl cried and bent down in agony, dropping the bottles on the ground. Adrien rushed to her side as soon as she plummeted downwards, putting one hand on her back and the other on her arm to keep her from hitting her head on the pavement. Alya and Nino saw her fall and immediately dropped their food, running over to see what happened.

“Mari!” Exclaimed Alya, “What’s wrong?”

Marinette tried to ignore the searing pain the bruise sent through her body, but it was too much for her. She tried to create an excuse for herself, but she could barely manage a pained groan.

“She’s got cramps,” said Adrien, thinking quickly. Nino was clearly uncomfortable, but Alya nodded in understanding. She knew from firsthand experience just how bad cramps could get.

“Want me to take you to the nurse?” She offered.

“I’ll do it,” Adrien said.

“Dude, are you sure?” Nino asked. “It’s girl stuff.”

Adrien nodded. “I’m not particularly squeamish about those things.” He placed his hands under her legs and back, lifting her with ease. They made their way to the nurse’s office, where she gave Marinette some painkillers. They didn’t help much, since Marinette didn’t even have cramps in the first place. The nurse let her rest on the bed while Adrien stayed by her side, not letting go of her hand.

“What happened back there? Does the mark hurt?” He asked.

Marinette could only manage a small nod, anything else requiring too much effort. Tikki and Plagg floated out of their bags once the nurse was gone, concern marking their faces.

“Adrien, lift her shirt up,” Plagg said. Normally, Adrien would have been extremely embarrassed by this, but the situation called for it. He did as he was told and hooked his fingers under the cloth, noticing how hot her skin was as his hand passed over it. The bruise was visibly pulsating, her veins pumping blood through the mark faster than Adrien would have thought possible.

“As I thought,” Tikki said, “There’s one nearby.” Adrien’s eyes widened. Was it another monster? But from what they had seen, demons only attacked at night.

“Do you mean-” Plagg started.

“Yes,” Tikki interrupted. “An Akuma.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUNNNNNN. What could this mean for our little demon and angel? :o
> 
> Follow me on my Tumblr for updates on my works! (elioren.tumblr.com)


	4. Budding Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to update my other work before this one but this got finished first. Whoops.

 

 _Why here? Why now?_ Adrien racked his brain for any reason a demon could appear during the day. As far as he knew, it wasn’t possible. Or at least hadn’t been up until this point. And what did Tikki call it? An “Akuma?” Whatever that means, it couldn’t have been good. He couldn’t dwell on these thoughts for too long, though. With Marinette out of commission, this would put her in even more danger. She could barely move, and if he couldn’t protect her, there was a pretty low chance that she’d remain safe for very long.

“What’s an Akuma?” He asked, wanting to know what they were up against.

“An Akuma,” Tikki said, “Is a demon that possesses humans with negative emotions. Jealousy, greed, and anger are the easiest for them to take advantage of. They can appear at any time since they aren’t in their demonic bodies.”

Adrien looked over at Marinette, who was visibly scared. She tried to hide it, but he could tell what she was thinking right away. After all, he felt the same way. The two of them had been thrust into this world of chaos without so much as a warning, and both were still trying to adjust to their new lifestyles even when monsters weren’t attacking them.

“Don’t worry,” he told her, staring right into her bright blue eyes, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” She nodded but recoiled in pain once again.

“C-closer…” Was all she could tell them as her body was subjected to another wave of agony. Adrien got up and ran to the door, holding out his hand for any intruders that dared walk in. Just when he thought they were in the clear, the door swung open.

“Chloé?” He said, caught completely off-guard by the rich blonde girl that walked into the infirmary.

“A-Adrien!” Marinette cried, her voice straining from the pain, “That’s not her!” He looked back at Chloé, noticing the purple butterfly-shaped mask around her eyes. How had he not seen it before? He began backing away from her, unsure of what to do in this situation. But before he could she swung her arm at him, sending him flying into the medical cart. He landed with a painful crash, one that should have alerted anyone nearby. Chloé prowled over to Marinette, who was desperately trying to get out of the bed.

“You!” She yelled, grabbing both of Marinette’s wrists in one hand, “You’re stealing Adrien from me!”

Marinette stifled a scream, Chloé was going to crush her hands at this rate. “I-I’m not!” Marinette cried, “Please, Chloé! This isn’t you!”

“You’re lying,” the blonde hissed, her voice morphing into a deep, non-human rumble, “I saw everything in the courtyard.” Marinette figured negotiating was out of the question. She tried to free herself from Chloé’s grasp, but it was too strong. Adrien ran up behind Chloé and grabbed her by the waist, attempting to pull her off of Marinette.

“Get your hands off her!” However, his attempts were futile. Chloé simply swung her other hand at Adrien again, throwing him into the wall with superhuman strength.

“Marinette!” Tikki called, “Look for the corrupted object! You need to break it!” She looked for anything that looked out of place until her eyes finally settled on the small brown necklace resting on Chloé’s collarbone. She always wore it, but no one really knew why. It seemed normal at first, but a second glance showed that it had a slight purple sheen to it.

“Adrien!” Marinette yelled, “The necklace!” He looked around the room for something to help him when he saw the cart he had been thrown into a moment earlier. He got behind it and pushed it at Chloé’s back, catching her off guard and knocking her over. She released Marinette’s wrists, dropping her to the floor with a painful thud. Marinette reached up to her throat and ripped the necklace off of Chloé before she could regain her composure, tossing it over her head to Adrien. He stepped on the round pendant, crushing it below his foot as a purple butterfly emerged from its shattered remains. Marinette stood, something that was _not_ easy for her, and caught it in her hand. From between her fingers, she could see a bright pink light, the same light from the night in the alley. She reopened her palm, revealing the small white butterfly that had been left in the place of the Akuma. The purified butterfly flew off through the open window into the sky, leaving Adrien, Marinette, and a _very_ confused Chloé.

“Huh?” Chloé asked, sitting up from the floor, “What happened? Why am I in the infirmary?” Adrien looked at Chloé to see if there was anything he could use as an excuse. His eye settled on a small scrape on her leg, likely from when he knocked her over. Most people wouldn’t worry about something like that, but Chloé would.

“You…tripped. You came up here to look for a band-aid and Marinette and I came with you.” Chloé looked down at her leg, noticing the pinprick of blood that was forming on her skin.

“Oh my god!” She shrieked, “Adrikins! Get me something quick, my leg is going to fall off!” Adrien shook his head and sighed, looking for the bandages. Though the pain was fading, Marinette tried to hide the fact that it was still present.

Once they had gotten rid of Chloé, Adrien sat down on the bed with Marinette and placed his hand on her arm. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Adrien could sense her lie, however, and raised his eyebrow skeptically. “Marinette, from now on I want you to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth. Can you do that for me?”

Under his intense gaze, Marinette felt like she had no choice but to do as he asked. “Okay… It still hurts pretty badly. But the pain  _has_ gone down a bit. It’s at least manageable now.”

Adrien nodded, satisfied with her honesty. He looked around at the room and noticed the damage that had been done. There were a few bottles of medication scattered around the room, but they could pick those up. The real problem was the wall where Chloé had thrown him. It was cracked in several places, but it was nothing too serious. However, they would still get in trouble for it. That was the last thing they could deal with right now, so with some careful repositioning of a _“Ten Healthy Habits for Mental and Physical Fitness”_ poster, he was able to conceal the evidence.

“Marinette,” Adrien said, facing her once again, “I want you to go home for the day. I’ll tell the nurse you weren’t feeling well.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“You need to rest.”

“I’m fine.”

“Oh yeah? Stand up and walk to the door on your own. If you can do that, then you can stay at school.” He crossed his arms and waited for her to prove that she was alright.

Marinette huffed and stood from the bed. She was pretty confident that everything was okay, at least until she took her first step. However, the second she did she fell forward, unable to sustain her own body weight. Adrien was there to catch her as she dropped, his firm arms supporting her. Marinette looked up at him, a shit-eating grin gracing his lips.

“Told you so.”

“Shut up.” She glared at him, but he merely chuckled in response.

“I’ll take you home and bring your backpack and homework after school.” He would have carried her bridal style, but that might have caused a scene with Alya. Instead, he slung her arm over his shoulders and wrapped his arm around her slim waist, supporting most of her weight. They left the infirmary as their Kwamis ducked into their bags, heading back into the courtyard. Alya saw them as they walked down the stairs and rushed over, concern marking her face.

“Mari, are you alright?” She asked.

“Yeah, but my stomach’s not any better, so I’m going to go home for the rest of the day.”

“Alright, girl. Get plenty of rest!”

Nino nodded in agreement, handing her the chocolate milk that she dropped earlier. “Yeah, Dude. Don’t stress too much.” Marinette smiled at both of them and let Adrien walk her home.

 

* * *

 

After much worrying from her parents in the bakery, Marinette was finally able to go to her room. Adrien carried her up the flight of stairs to her room, where he gently set her down on her bed.

“Are you feeling any better?” He asked.

“A little, but it still hurts.” She wiggled under the covers and pulled them up over her chest.

“Alright, make sure you rest. I’ll see you after school, okay?”

“Okay,” Marinette said. As Adrien stepped down from her loft, Marinette placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you for taking care of me, Adrien.”

He was taken aback by her sudden thanks but smiled regardless. “You’re welcome, little imp.”

“And stop calling me that!” Adrien chuckled and ducked out of the door, not giving her a chance to yell at him any further for her new nickname.

Marinette sighed and fell back onto her giant cat pillow, deciding a nap would do her some good. But before she could close her eyes, Tikki flew up to her face.

“Marinette! I have to tell you something about akumas.”

“What is it?” She asked, worried.

“An akuma can only be released by the god of greed, Nooroo, or whoever is chosen by him.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” Tikki said, “That either a god is targeting you, or their hand-picked servant is. And for your sake, I hope it’s the latter.”

 

* * *

 

At the end of the day, Adrien packed up his stuff and texted Marinette that he was heading over with her things. She didn’t respond, so he assumed she was sleeping. But as he headed down the steps at the front of the school, Alya stopped him in his tracks.

“Heading over to Mari’s, huh?” She put her hands on her hips, observing his body language.

“Yeah, she needs her homework and backpack.” He tried to move around her, but she stepped into his path once again.

“I’m coming too.”

“Okay,” He said plainly.

“I know you want to spend alone time with Mari, but she’s my friend too.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

“Good, because you can’t.” She began walking towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery across the street with Adrien in tow.

“Is Nino coming?” He asked.

“Nah, he had something planned with his dad.” Suddenly, she nudged him with her elbow. “So, what’s going on between you and Mari?”

Adrien rolled his eyes, attempting to buy himself some time to think of an excuse. “Nothing’s going on. We’re just… Trying to become friends?” He finished with uncertainty.

“Alright, but just so you know, I’ll be watching you two.” They arrived at the door to the bakery and opened it, the little gold bell alerting Tom and Sabine of their arrival.

“Oh! Hello, you two!” Tom chimed.

“Hello, Mr. Dupain,” said Adrien, “We’re here to drop off Marinette’s things.”

“Ah, alright! You can head right on up. Oh, Alya, your mother ordered some cupcakes from us, could you tell me if I got them right?”

“Sure thing, Tom!” Alya walked into the kitchen with Marinette’s dad to see the small cakes as Adrien began ascending the stairs to their house. Once he opened the hatch to her room, he noticed how dark it was inside.

“Marinette?” Adrien called. He dropped their school supplies on the chaise and climbed up to the loft, noticing the breathing lump under the covers. He pulled the blanket away from her face, noticing the way her jet black hair fell in soft waves around her face, framing it beautifully. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, allowing a minuscule snore to escape her mouth. Her eyelashes seemed much longer when he actually had the chance to see them. It was then that he noticed how close his face had gotten while observed her fine features, though he didn’t pull away. He didn’t want to.

  


**“Ahem.”**

  


Adrien whipped his head around, spotting Alya standing on the ladder to the loft with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised with her smirk. “Alya! I-I was just–”

“Friends, huh?” She continued smiling smugly at him, waiting for him to explain. However, he was too embarrassed to say anything, so he just remained silent. When she realized he wasn’t going to speak, she kicked Marinette’s foot.

“Hey, Mari! your knight in shining armor is here for you.” Adrien’s face flushed, rivaling the color of a tomato. Marinette stirred and he attempted to regain his composure, but his face still had a hint of a blush.

“Mn… Adrien?” She blinked slowly a few times, her now-noticeably long eyelashes being showcased to him.

“H-hey.” He backed off of her bed and descended the steps, turning on the lamp on her desk.

“Hi…” She rubbed her eyes as she spoke, still a little sleepy. Now that Adrien had started noticing these things, he couldn’t un-notice them. The way she squinted her eyes and caused her cheeks to puff up, her black hair that had navy blue undertones when it shone in the light, her cute cat-print sweat pants and _oh god, stop thinking about her._

Adrien shook his head to clear his thoughts, unaware that Alya was still watching his blush creep up his neck yet again. When Alya said she was going to watch them, she meant it. Meanwhile, Marinette was picking up her backpack and going over the homework.

“Math _and_ physics?” She groaned, annoyed with the amount of work they had to do.

“It’s alright, girl!” Alya said, patting her shoulder, “We’ll be here to suffer alongside you. Right, Adrien?”

“Y-yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Thanks, guys.” She walked over to her desk and grabbed her textbooks, the other two doing the same. They all sat in a circle on the floor and began working on physics.

“Torque and angular acceleration?” Marinette asked, the subject sounding new to her.

“Yeah, we went over it in class today,” Adrien said.

“We’re lucky to have Mr. Know-It-All here to help,” Alya jested, “I wasn’t paying attention to the lesson.”

Adrien chuckled and nudged her arm. “Pretty sure you were snoring behind us.”

“Was not!”

Marinette felt a giggle bubbling up to the surface from watching the two of them bicker. Suddenly it burst out of her as a full-blown laugh, with Adrien and Alya turning to look at her in surprise. They both joined in with laughter of their own, but it was silenced by the trapdoor opening and Tom poking his head into the room.

“I hate to interrupt,” Marinette’s father started, “But I need some help lifting flour bags down here. Could you help me, Adrien?”

“Sure thing, Mr. Dupain!” He stood up from the floor and headed down to the bakery with Tom, leaving Alya and Marinette alone.

“Girl,” Alya said, grabbing Marinette’s arm, “Don’t freak out, okay?”

“Okay?”

“I think Adrien has a crush on you.”

Marinette nearly choked on her own saliva. “A c-crush? As in he likes me in a romantic way?”

“Yeah, that’s what a having a crush means.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, for starters, he bought you a drink earlier.” Marinette was about to interrupt her but was stopped by Alya’s hand. “Yes, I saw that. And no, it didn’t seem like an act of courtesy. Then, when you got cramps, he took you to the infirmary and practically carried you home. And that’s not even counting your romantic Parisian bike ride at sunset.”

Alay raised her eyebrow, daring Marinette to say something in his defense. However, her mind was still processing what Alya said, seeing everything in a new light. True, he had been nicer to her recently, but she thought he just wanted to be friends. Now that she really considered the possibility, the fact that he said “you’re important to me” had a whole new meaning behind it.

“Oh my god,” Marinette gasped.

“Mhm.”

“Oh my _god!”_

“Yep.”

“Alya, I think he might like me!”

“Hey, at least Adrien’s not the worst person to have a crush on you. In fact, it’s a pretty good turn of events.”

“That’s not the point!” Marinette cried, “Just last week he and I were at each other’s throats, and now he’s interested in me?”

“You don’t need to make a decision right now,” Alya said, “Just consider him as an option.”  

At that very moment, Adrien walked back upstairs, a thin layer of white dust coating his black shirt. “Alright, you guys ready for tutoring with Mr. Agreste?” They all picked up their books with Marinette avoiding eye contact.

“Teach away,” Alya said, brandishing her pencil in her fingers.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was a good two hours before they finished their work. Alya had to head home after, as she had dinner with her family. They all said their goodbyes, with Alya winking at them. Adrien and Marinette both thought it was for themselves, causing two identical blushes to rise up their faces. Once Alya left, they headed back up to Marinette’s room to relax for a bit. Perhaps even play more video games. Tikki and Plagg both jumped out of their hiding spots on Marinette’s bed, diving into their respective bags for cookies and cheese.

“You two couldn’t get her out of here sooner?” Plagg asked, “We’re starving!”

“Sorry,” Marinette said, “We had to finish our homework.”

“Yeah, you’ve never had to do physics, Plagg. You wouldn’t know.” Adrien fell back on the chaise, exhausted. Marinette headed up to her bunk and opened the sunroof, jumping up to the balcony above her room. Curious, Adrien followed her up just in time to see her turning on some multicolored paper lanterns. The sky was dark, with the glittering stars as the only break in the vast blackness.

“I figured I should bring you up here at some point,” Marinette said.

Adrien stared in awe at the twinkling ceiling above them, a sight that was only rivaled by the girl standing before him. He tore his line of sight away from the sky to look at her, the light shimmering in her irises.

Marinette felt his eyes on her and turned towards him. His gaze was unwavering, staring straight into her bluebell orbs. She couldn’t find the willpower to look away from him, noticing how unusually green his eyes were under the night sky.

He slowly walked towards her and took her slender hand in his larger one, gripping it softly. “Marinette… I…”

The girl finally felt the embarrassment of their current situation sink in, and she looked away from his face. Her eyes darted around to find something else to focus on but found nothing. Suddenly, his fingers wrapped around her chin, gently turning her face to look back at him. Marinette realized that after this hell of a week, she couldn’t say she felt nothing for him, especially after all he’d done for her. Her heart fluttered with nervousness, making her feel like she was on cloud nine with excitement. Adrien leaned forward slowly to the point where their noses brushed. Marinette didn’t pull away. She didn’t want to, just as Adrien didn’t either.

 

“Oi, lovebirds.”

 

The two spun their heads towards the door, finally noticing Plagg and Tikki. Plagg was sitting on the edge with his arms crossed and Tikki was smiling sadly at them. Adrien was slightly annoyed at them for interrupting their little moment, but they probably had a good reason. Marinette was red with embarrassment and tried to cover her face with her hands.

“What?” Adrien asked.

The two flew up to where Marinette and Adrien were, floating at eye level.

“There’s something you two should know,” Tikki said solemnly. This cleared away any shame they had, the situation turning serious.

“What’s wrong?” Marinette questioned, worried that something bad had happened.

“Well…” Tikki trailed off.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Plagg said, “Spit it out!”

 

“You two... can _never_ be together.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and Kudos if you enjoyed! (and thank you SO much to everyone that's been following this story for this long!)
> 
> Follow me on my Tumblr for updates on my works! (elioren.tumblr.com)


	5. The Cursed Lovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE D:
> 
> Reasons:  
> -My mother had dental surgery  
> -I've been helping a friend prepare for her wedding  
> -FREAKING LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD (LIKE COME ON)  
> -General procrastination 
> 
> NOTES:  
> -I know Marinette's room doesn't actually have a bathroom attached but let's pretend it does.  
> -I changed the backstory SLIGHTLY so that the gods used to choose humans but don't anymore.  
> -The chosen people (with the exception of Marinette and Adrien) don't actually correspond with people from the show. For example, hawkmoth isn't Gabriel, Volpina isn't Lila (if I even put her in this). Because the gods don't choose humans. 
> 
> Tumblr: elioren.tumblr.com

 

“You two… can _never_ be together.”

 

Adrien felt his heart plummet into his stomach. He had finally found someone that made him genuinely happy just from the thought of her, and now Tikki was telling them they can’t get closer? His hand tightened around Marinette’s, which she returned. She was staring at Tikki with the same confusion as Adrien, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.

“There’s something we didn’t tell you two,” Tikki replied, “We had hoped we would never need to, but now there’s no choice. It all started hundreds of years ago…”

 

_“There once was a girl. She was born into nobility, though she longed for more than a simple pampered lifestyle. She wanted adventure, action, and romance, but her father didn’t approve. One day, when she was young, she escaped from her tutor and hid in the stables, where she met a boy. They were apprehensive about each other at first, though quickly became friends._

_As the years passed, the girl fell for the stable boy, who had grown into a young man with a heart of gold. The two were smitten with each other and planned to escape from the estate after she turned sixteen._

_“However, on the eve of her birthday, she was confronted by her father, who had discovered her affair with the boy. He was furious at her disobedience and locked her in the dungeon, where she would stay until a suitor took her hand in marriage._

_“For three months she lay trapped, her only company being the rats that ran across her cell floor. But one night, the clang of metal roused her from her slumber. It was the boy, he had broken the bars on the window and allowed her the chance to run away with him. They escaped, and in the morning her father found the empty prison cell. In a fit of rage, he begged the fallen gods to curse his daughter for her insolence. The gods, who had recently been cast out of heaven, responded to his plea and captured the girl, using her body to create the very first demon._

_“The stable boy was so stricken with grief at the loss of his lover that he attempted to find her in hell. However, living humans cannot enter hell without dying. The boy knew this but was willing to give up his life for her regardless._

_The heavenly gods saw his selfless sacrifice and gave him a second chance at life, and thus created the first angel. Both the fallen gods and the heavenly gods used these new races for their selections instead of humans, who were unreliable and easily tempted._

_“However, their new lives came at a price. Those who are descended from these two will be inexplicably drawn to each other, just as their ancestors were. However, If they succumb to their attractions, their lives will be full of suffering and loss for as long as they live.”_

 

Adrien and Marinette stared at each other, disbelief marking their faces. If what Tikki said was true, could this mean that everything that happened during the past week was because of the curse? Or would things only get worse from here on out?

“So,” Adrien swallowed, “Marinette and I are descended from the original angel and demon?”

“Yes…” Tikki trailed off, looking away from them solemnly. “What I said wasn’t entirely true. You two _shouldn’t_ be together, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be.”

Marinette hugged her elbows and sat on the lawn chair. “But if we do, we’ll be followed by misfortune?” Tikki didn’t say anything but nodded in response.

Adrien sat next to her and stared down at his hands. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” Marinette glanced over at him, thinking of ways to dispel the tension that hung in the air. “Want some hot chocolate?”

“What?” He looked up at her suddenly, throwing off her composure.

“H-hot chocolate… do you want some?”

“Sure?” He watched her scurry down the sunroof, her back facing him the entire time. He fell back onto the chair and tried to think of possible ways they could work around this predicament but he was unable to find any. Why did he even like her in the first place? Sure, she was arguably the most attractive girl at their school. But it was the little things he had noticed only recently that really got his heart fluttering. The way she giggled, the small smile she had when lying, the way she looked away when embarrassed, her unwavering courage, her adorable little freckles–

Just then, Marinette arrived with two steaming cups of cocoa, a plate of cookies, and a small round container of camembert. Immediately, Plagg’s nose singled out the cheese. He zoomed over to Marinette, creating a black streak across the balcony.

“Camembert!” He exclaimed, “You really know how to pick ‘em, kid!”

“Shut up,” Adrien grumbled and looked away, but his gaze was turned back when Marinette placed the hot chocolate under his nose. The gentle smell danced around his senses, clouding his vision. Without even tasting it, he could tell it would be the best cup of cocoa he’d ever drink. He wrapped his hands around the warm mug, taking a small sip so he could savor the flavor.

“Is that… cinnamon?” Adrien asked, peeking over the rim of his cup.

“Yeah, it’s my special ingredient.” Marinette gave him a small smile, the warmth from the cocoa tinting her cheeks.

“It’s really good–for an imp.” He smirked at her and noticed her pout.

“Stop calling me that!” Marinette pouted and sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t listen to her request. “Thanks, though.” She looked over at the Kwamis, who were devouring the treats she brought. As she started off into space, Marinette wondered what it was she liked about Adrien. After all, it had only been a week since they were at each other’s throats. Was it his good manners? Or perhaps his good looks? When none of these options seemed plausible, the realization struck her.

“Adrien!” She exclaimed.

The blonde jumped, nearly spilling his drink. “What?”

“We don’t actually like each other!”

“Huh…?”

“Think about it, a week ago we were borderline enemies. But once we began hanging out more, we suddenly have feelings for each other? It doesn’t seem right.”

“Okay?”

“It’s because of the curse!”

“Oh. OH!” The notion washed over him suddenly, everything making a lot more sense now. “Yeah, you’re right. There’s no way I could like you in that way.”

“Well damn, you don’t have to sugarcoat it.” Yep, it definitely wasn’t his manners.

“Sorry, you know what I mean. We’re… friends. Right?” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, hoping that she agreed.

Marinette noticed his demeanor and wrapped one arm around his shoulders reassuringly. “Of course we are!”

Adrien chuckled, his voice reverberating through Marinette’s arm. “So, as long as we keep that in mind, we shouldn’t have any problems with it?”

“Hopefully not.” Marinette felt her phone buzz in her pocket and looked at the screen.

 

 **_Alya 10:24 PM:_ ** _I hope Blondie isn’t still at your place._

 

 **_Marinette 10:25 PM:_ ** _Why do you ask?_

 

 **_Alya 10:25 PM:_ ** _Intuition. And judging by your lack of denial, he is._

 

 **_Marinette 10:26 PM:_ ** _Guess we just lost track of time? I should probably send him home._

 

 **_Alya 10:27 PM:_ ** _“Probably.” You know his dad would kill him if he found out he was at your house this late._

 

 **_Marinette 10:28 PM:_ ** _Yeah, I know. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. :P_

 

 **_Alya 10:28 PM:_ ** _Alright, ttyl._

 

“Alya just told me to send you home,” Marinette said, standing up from the chair.

“How did she know I was still here?”

“She’s got a sixth sense for these things.” Marinette gathered up the cups and carried them down into her bedroom, setting them down on the desk.

“Well, she’s right,” Adrien agreed, heading down after her. “I didn’t notice how late it had gotten. I’ll head back over in about an hour?”

“Alright.” Marinette grabbed his textbook from the chaise and handed it to him. He stuffed the book in his messenger bag and began walking towards the hatch when Marinette pulled on the cuff of his sleeve.

“Hey… Thanks,” she said, “You don’t have to risk getting in trouble with your dad for me, but you do anyways.”

Adrien turned to face her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been sneaking out since I was a kid. My dad has no idea. And if he does, he doesn’t care enough to say anything.”

“Still, thanks. You’ve done a lot for me.”

“No problem.” He smiled at her brightly, his pure white teeth flashing. “I’ll be back soon.” Adrien climbed down the ladder, noticing that Marinette’s parents had already gone to bed. Making sure to close the door quietly behind him, he departed the Dupain-Cheng house.

 

* * *

 

When Adrien returned and unlocked the door, as he had grown accustomed to, he noticed the lights were still on in her bedroom. He ascended the stairs up to her room, noticing the girl was leaning over her desk, her attention on… something. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, as she hid it in a box as soon as she heard him step into the room.

“H-hey,” Marinette said, caught off guard.

“Hi. Do you mind if I use your bathroom to shower?” He set his bag down next to the chaise, taking his sweatpants out in the process.

“Sure, there’s towels under the sink.” Marinette watched him go into the bathroom, digging her project out of the box as soon as he closed the door.

Adrien set his clothes on the counter, noticing the sweet aroma wafting throughout the bathroom. He saw droplets of water dotting the walls of the bath, coming to the conclusion that Marinette must have just showered before him. Before his teenage mind could dive down that rabbit hole any further, he pushed those thoughts out of his head.

Adrien turned on the faucet, allowing the water to warm up as he stripped. He folded his clothes and stepped into the cascading water, his skin tingling at the warm sensation. Looking around the shower, he took in Marinette’s arsenal of bath products, noticing how each one had a distinctly feminine smell to them.

 _Well, better to smell like a girl than to smell bad._ The blonde squirted the strawberry-vanilla shampoo onto his hair, lathering it into a cloud atop his head. Looking at his hands, he saw the plume of bubbles in his palms. Though he was no longer a kid, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun. Adrien took the bubbles and smeared them over his face, creating a very large beard and laughed quietly to himself.

Suddenly, he remembered when his mother used to bathe him as a child. She would style his hair into a mohawk, making him feel much cooler than he was. She would even put bubbles on her face and pretend to be Santa Claus, much to his amusement.

Adrien smiled fondly at the warm memory and wiped the bubbles from his face, rinsing out his hair as well. Though he knew that his parents weren’t really related to him, that didn’t change his view of them. Well, half of them, at least. He sort of understood why his father seemed so distant now, especially after the death of his mother three years prior. Adrien knew he would eventually have to confront his father about his knowledge of his adoption, but he didn’t know when the right time would emerge. He decided not to dwell on depressing thoughts, finishing his shower as quickly as possible.

Marinette sat at her desk sewing away as fast as she could, careful not to mess up what she was working on. She had started it as soon as Adrien left, hoping to finish it before he returned. However, she had gotten immersed in the details and didn’t notice the amount of time that had passed. Marinette hurried to complete it before he was done with the shower, which she did successfully. She held it up in the air, going over her handiwork. The dark blueish-green fabric cascaded down to the desk, pooling at the bottom. Inlaid into it were intricate white designs resembling vines, swirling and coiling around the edges. Originally, she was just going to give it a plain border, but the extra step really went a long way.

She nodded to herself, satisfied with the results. She folded the cloth and put it back in the box, storing it under her desk. She sat back up and noticed Tikki and Plagg sound asleep in her sewing basket, curled up in the leftover fabric. Just as she stood up she heard the shower tap shut off.

 _Just in time,_ Marinette thought. She climbed up to her bed and pulled out a book just as Adrien emerged from the bathroom wearing a gray t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was still wet, droplets of water sparkling in the light. He put his dirty clothes into his bag and set up his makeshift bed on the chaise, unfolding the blanket Marinette routinely left for him.

“Hey Marinette, you still awake?” He asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?” She called down to him.

“I was just wondering what you wanted to do tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah, it’s Saturday,” Marinette said. The week had gone by so fast that she was caught off guard. “I dunno, maybe we could go out with Alya and Nino or something.”

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll text them in the morning.” Adrien flopped back on the chaise, covering his shoulders with the blanket. He could see Marinette leaning forward to turn off her reading light in the loft. She flipped the switch and the room was encased in darkness, leaving them in silence. As Marinette was just about to drift off, she heard Adrien call out to her.

“Goodnight, Marinette,” He said just above a whisper.

“G’night, Adrien.”

 

* * *

 

Alya awoke to her phone buzzing several times. She groaned in annoyance, rolling over to look at the flashing screen. If there was one thing Alya hated, it was being woken up on a Saturday. She read the messages she had gotten, counting about 10. Adrien, for god knows what reason, had added her to a group chat with Nino and Marinette.

 

 **_Adrien 5:35 AM:_ ** _Hey guys! Marinette and I were going to a movie later and wanted to know if you wanted to join us._

 

 **_Nino 7:24 AM:_ ** _Dude, why were you up at 5 in the fucking morning._

 

 **_Adrien 7:32 AM:_ ** _Not sure, couldn’t really sleep. So you in? :)_

 

 **_Nino 7:43 AM:_ ** _Idk man, I’ll have to ask my parents. I think they needed me for something today._

 

 **_Nino 7:50 AM:_ ** _Never mind, they said it’s cool. What movie are we seeing?_

 

 **_Marinette 7:52 AM:_ ** _We were going to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at 12:15. :3_

 

 **_Nino 7:55 AM:_ ** _Oh, morning ‘Nette. Sounds good, Alya and I were planning to see that anyways._

 

 **_Marinette 8:01 AM:_ ** _‘Nette? Is that a new nickname for me?_

 

 **_Nino 8:04 AM:_ ** _Yep. And I’m sticking to it. By the way, where’s Alya? She should have been woken up by our messages by now._

 

 **_Alya 8:05 AM:_ ** _I’m here. All of you are dead for disturbing my slumber. -.-_

 

 **_Nino 8:07 AM:_ ** _Yeah yeah, time to get into the sun, Miss Vampire. :P_

 

 **_Alya 8:08 AM:_ ** _*hiss*_

 

 **_Marinette 8:11 AM:_ ** _So you don’t have to babysit today?_

 

 **_Alya 8:12 AM:_ ** _Nope, I’m free. It’s a double date. ;)_

 

 **_Marinette 8:12 AM:_ ** _It’s not a date!!!_

 

 **_Adrien 8:12 AM:_ ** _Alya, no._

 

 ** _Alya 8:13 AM:_** _Relax, no need to get worked up._ _We’ll see you lovebirds at noon._

 

Before Marinette and Adrien could object further, Alya put her phone on silent and shoved her face into the pillow once more. Today was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

“Morning, Mr. Dupain!” Adrien smiled up at the large man as he walked into the bakery, bell chiming above him.

“Ah, hello Adrien!” Tom was covered from head to toe in flour, cleaning up a spill on the floor. “Marinette should be up in her room, probably changing her clothes.”

“Did she spill that?” Adrien asked, pointing to the mess on the floor.

“Yes, but it was partially my fault. She was moving some bags when I came around the corner too quickly. You can see the result.” He gestured to the white clouds on his apron and pants and picked up the mop to resume cleaning.

“I would offer to help, but we’re going to be late for the movie soon.” The blonde checked his phone, noticing the time was 11:47.

“Don’t worry about it! You can head on up and get her.”

“Thanks, Mr. Dupain.”

“Adrien, you can call me Tom.” He smiled at the boy, who was happy to know that he was getting closer to Marinette’s family.

“Thanks… Tom.” Adrien headed upstairs into the living room and arrived at Marinette’s door, raising a hand to knock lightly. “Hey imp, you ready?”

“Just a second!” Came her muffled cry. He heard her frantic footsteps, probably from rushing to get her things together. A few moments later she opened the hatch, causing Adrien’s breath to catch in his throat.

Marinette stood above him in one of the cutest outfits he’d ever seen a girl wear, and his father was a fashion designer. She wore a baby pink thigh-length dress with a white peter pan collar, a light beige cardigan on top of everything. Her hair was in a low bun with braids around the sides of her head, a completely new hairstyle from the simple pigtails he saw her wear normally. She wore strappy white heels that exposed her toes, showing off her matching pink toenails. On any other girl the outfit might seem simple, but on Marinette it accentuated all of the right features.

“Wow.” He stood dumbfounded at the base of the stairs, taking in how stunning she looked.

“Huh?” She asked, unsure of what he was gawking at.

“N-nothing,” Adrien said, regaining his composure, “You look really cute.”

“Oh, th-thanks.” Marinette flushed a light pink, making the freckles on her nose pop out more than normal.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah, we better hurry or we’ll be late!”

“I wonder whose fault that is,” Adrien said with a roll of his eyes.

“Shut up.” The two headed downstairs, leaving through the bakery.

“Have fun you two!” Sabine called, waving at them as they left.

“Bye, _Maman!_ ” Marinette replied, stuffing a few cookies into her bag discretely for Tikki. Adrien walked over to Marinette’s bike (which he had borrowed for the time being) and hopped on, scooting forward to give her some room on the back. Marinette sat on the back rail just like she had the first time they rode together, wrapping her arms around Adrien’s waist. He pushed off of the ground and headed towards the movie theater, going as fast as he could without knocking Marinette off the back.

They arrived in just over ten minutes, leaving them with five minutes to spare. Alya was outside the theater waiting for them, annoyance etched on her face. She had her hands on her hips, glaring at the two of them.

“You two better have a good reason for being late, the movie is about to start!”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, “It’s my fault. I spilled flour in the bakery and had to change.”

“Well, I sent Nino in ahead of us to save seats, but we gotta run! You can pay me back for the tickets later.”

“We owe you one, Alya!” Adrien called as they ran through the theater, handing the slips of paper to the ticket agent. Luckily, they got to their seats before the first preview ended. They took their seats as Nino handed them the popcorn and drinks he’d bought for everyone. As the previews ended, the lights went dim and the _Warner Brothers_ logo appeared on the screen.

 

Once the film was over, Marinette and Alya began chatting up a storm, debating what characters from the original _Harry Potter_ series could be Obscurials. Though Nino and Adrien both liked the series, they weren’t as into it as the girls were.

“Do you think Harry could have been one?” Alya asked.

“No, he didn’t know about magic,” Marinette replied, “But I think Ariana Dumbledore was! She killed her mother with a magical explosion when she was fourteen after suppressing it for years. If that doesn’t scream ‘obscurial’, I don’t know what does.”

“Girl, you remember the weirdest details.”

Marinette shrugged, not having anything to say back. She took out her phone and checked the time, seeing that it was almost three o’clock.

“You guys wanna get some lunch before we head home?” She asked, “There’s a café down the street.”

“Sure,” Nino said, “I’m pretty hungry.”

“Not sure why; you ate most of the popcorn.”

“I’m a growing boy!” Adrien and Alya laughed at him as the group walked to the café. They sat outside, enjoying the early spring breeze. They ordered their drinks first, chamomile tea for Marinette and Alya, soda for Nino, and water for Adrien. They all decided to get various sandwiches after noticing the delicious-looking sub that someone else got. They made light banter and talked about the movie some more, not even noticing how quickly they were eating. It felt so right to have all four of them together, though none of them knew why. Perhaps it was just their personalities clicking, or maybe the idea of being in a group makes everything more fun. Regardless, they had a fantastic outing that was only stopped by the sun going lower and lower on the horizon.

“Wow, we’ve been here for two hours.” Alya pulled out her phone when she felt the cool early-evening air brush against her exposed arms, showing everyone the time.

“Oh crap,” Adrien said, standing up from his seat, “I’ve gotta get home. My dad’s going to kill me!”

“What’s wrong dude?” Nino asked.

“I have piano practice on Saturdays but I completely forgot about it.”

“Whoops,” Alya said.

“Marinette, do you mind if I drop you off a little early?” He asked while putting some money on the table.

“It’s fine, we’d better hurry and get you home!” She said, reaching into her purse to put a few bills next to his. The two said their goodbyes to Alya and Nino and jumped on Marinette’s bike, riding away as quickly as possible.

“So,” Nino started, “What’s going on between those two?”

“Oh, I think you know.” Alya put her elbows on the table and held her head in her palm. “However, I think we should watch how things play out before meddling anymore.”

 

* * *

 

Marinette jumped off the bike as soon as Adrien stopped in front of her house. He was about to ride away, but she grabbed his arm.

“Wait!” She said, “You’ll still come tonight, right? There haven’t been any night attacks since you started sleeping over.”

“I’ll try my best,” Adrien said. He kicked off with his foot and began riding away. “See you later!”

“Yeah…” Marinette trailed off, watching him ride off. Once he was out of sight, she headed upstairs into her room, where Tikki flew out of her purse.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll find a way!” Tikki smiled up at her reassuringly, hoping to ease the girl’s worries. Marinette smiled back at her softly and took out the thin box from under the desk, setting it on the table’s surface.

“I hope so.”

**.**

**.**

**.**

About six hours passed and he still hadn’t returned. Adrien usually arrived at eleven, and it was only a quarter till midnight. Tikki had gone down to the bakery to snack on some chocolate chip cookies before bed, leaving Marinette alone in her room. Just as she was about to give up hope, the floorboards behind her creaked slowly.

“Adrien?” She asked, turning around to face the hatch. To her shock, a towering man stood above her. His skin was a deep purple, silver gemstones embedded in it. His face was covered by an identical silver mask, completely black eyes peeking out. He wore elegant lavender clothing and carried a purple cane with a round crystal ball on top of it, which he tapped his finger on rhythmically.

“No, my dear,” He said, his voice deep and smooth, “I am the one that sent an akuma after you.”

“W-who are you?” She asked cautiously, slowly walking backward.

“I am like you–a demon.”

“You’re the one Tikki warned me about.”

“Yes. I was gifted by the god of greed, Nooroo.”

“Why are you here?”

“Well,” he started, “to put it simply, I want what you have.”

“Which is?”

The man raised an eyebrow at her and took a few slow steps forward. “My dear, did your little god not tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Marinette was backed against her desk now with nowhere to run.

“Very rarely, those chosen by the goddess of luck can bring back the dead.”

Marinette stared dumbfounded at the man. “The… dead?”

“Yes, do you think we would target some little girl whose only power is luck?”

“That’s why all these monsters have been finding me?”

“Now now, you're one of those "monsters" too.”

The man got increasingly close to Marinette, which made her extremely fearful. If he was anything like what he did to Chloé, he was bad news. She put her hands out and tried to push him away, but instead of making contact with his chest, her palms phased through him.

“You…” She trailed off.

“I am only here as a projection. I didn’t know if that angel boy would be here, so I took precautions. He could destroy my body with a single touch.” He turned to face away from Marinette but didn’t move away. “I came to see for myself who had defeated my akuma, but I see now that you are nothing without that boy to protect you.”

“You’re wrong!” She shouted, not caring if she woke up her parents.

“Oh? Then prove it. You can’t defend yourself. I will find an opportunity when you are alone, and I will take your power for myself.” Before the man could continue further, there was a light knock on the door. “It seems my time is up. I look forward to our little game, _mademoiselle.”_ Without another word, his projection dissipated into a cloud of purple smoke, leaving Marinette alone once again. The hatch creaked open revealing a head of blonde hair.

“Hey, I managed to sneak out of my window,” Adrien said, smiling at her. However, she was still in shock and merely stared at him. He noticed her vacant expression and walked over to her, concern marking his features. “Hey, you okay?”

Marinette snapped out of her daze and looked into his eyes. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine, just lost in thought.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” She smiled at him, though she felt awful for lying. Adrien shrugged, setting his things down in their usual place. Marinette noticed that Tikki had followed him upstairs, still carrying a cookie.

She had decided not to tell them about the man. There would be no point, they were only targeting her, not Adrien. Besides, knowing what he had told her would only worry Adrien. She just had to be more cautious. Well, a _lot_ more cautious.

Marinette sat on the chaise with him as he unpacked his pajamas, watching her clock carefully. There was another reason she had hoped he would come tonight, and luckily he did. She walked over to the desk where the thin box was, now wrapped in dark blue ribbon, and hid it behind her back, waiting for the clock. Adrien noticed her odd behavior and looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.

“You sure you’re okay?” Adrien asked. Marinette merely nodded, still looking at the clock. He followed her line of sight, noticing that the time was 11:59 PM. Somehow, he understood what she was waiting for. He watched with her as the seconds passed, finally changing the numbers to 12:00 AM. As soon as they did, she walked over to the blonde and presented the box, holding it out in front of her.

 

“Happy birthday, Adrien!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm so sorry that this took me so long.
> 
> I really enjoyed writing them all hanging out and doing things like normal teenagers. Leave a comment and Kudos if you enjoyed!


	6. "Red suits you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE.  
> I honestly have no excuse other than I've been really busy with school and haven't had time to think about writing fanfiction. But at least I'm back in business now! 
> 
> Tumblr: elioren.tumblr.com

 

A tall goddess stood by a large window, staring out at the golden City of Angels. She wore a long yellow gown adorned with sparkling jewels. She was beautiful, though not more so than the Goddess of Beauty, Dusuu. She placed an elegant hand on the glass, lost in her own thoughts.

“My lady, there is a message for you.” An angel servant approached the blonde goddess, clutching a purple scroll in his hands.

“From whom?” She turned towards him, eyeing the roll of paper.

“Nooroo.”

She felt her body stiffen. Why would one of the banished be contacting the heavenly gods now? It had been over two thousand years since the division of the gods. Taking the scroll from the angel boy, she dismissed him with a wave. Only after he had left the room did she open the scroll, dark blue eyes darting from word to word. Immediately, she mentally summoned her champion. Another angel flew into the grand room almost instantaneously.

“What is it you require of me, my liege?” The girl knelt low, head bowed in respect.

“Aurelia, it appears Tikki has chosen a demon to bestow her powers upon.” The goddess’ voice was icy.

The young angel, Aurelia, didn’t hide her surprise; giving a demon heavenly powers was strictly forbidden. “Why would she do that?”

“I am not sure.” She crossed the room to where the angel was still kneeling. “Whatever the case, we cannot allow a demon to misuse the gift, especially one as powerful as Tikki’s. I require you to negotiate with the demon. Convince them to give up their powers.”

“And if they refuse?”

“Take it by force.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Happy birthday, Adrien!”

 

The teen sat silently, surprise evident. He hadn't expected her to remember that they shared a birthday, much less get him a present. “Y-you didn't have to get me anything.” He fumbled over his words, speaking quickly.

“Of course I did, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't?” Marinette smiled sweetly at him, making his heart thump loudly against his chest. He wasn’t sure what feeling caused it, though. Happiness? Excitement? Perhaps something else. He couldn’t tell which emotions were real and which ones were from the curse. All they knew was that they were drawn to each other. Honestly, could ancient prophecies and such get any more vague?

“Thank you,” he said, taking the box from her outstretched hands. Undoing the ribbon carefully, he removed the lid of the box. Inside was luxurious dark cyan silk scarf, embroidered with delicate white vines. The fabric rolled in his hands smoothly, It was gorgeous work, it must have cost her quite a bit to buy him something so high quality.

When he didn’t say anything, Marinette got restless. What if he thought it didn’t look good? She had a feeling making him something wearable was a bad idea, he was used to wearing expensive designer brands. Just as she was about to slink away in embarrassment, he piped up.

“It’s amazing, Marinette!” He smiled up at her brightly before realizing how loudly he spoke. He continued, his voice much lower this time. “Where did you get it?”

“Oh,” Marinette said, her cheeks the slightest tinge of pink, “I actually made it.”

Adrien’s eyes went wide. “You… you made this?” He held the scarf up once again, taking in the details once more. As his eyes scanned the coiling vines, he noticed something odd. Was it a letter? He turned the scarf sideways and noticed the hidden word etched into the stitching. ‘Marinette.’

The owner of the name saw Adrien looking at her little detail that she had put in and immediately flushed. “O-oh, that’s my name. I incorporate it into each of my designs… It’s something I started when I first got interested in fashion and I never stopped.”

“I like it, it adds a personal touch.” Adrien wrapped the scarf around his neck, the deep cyan making the bright green of his eyes pop. Most people would have chosen a matching green for it, but Marinette preferred to use complimentary colors over matching ones. “How long have you been making clothes?”

“For as long as I can remember,” Marinette giggled. “When I was a little kid I used to cut up construction paper and turn it into paper shirts.”

Adrien chuckled, imagining a small girl running around with makeshift clothes made from paper. “I actually got you something too, but I’m afraid my gift is far inferior.”

“You didn’t have to-–”

“Yes I did,” he interrupted her protest. He rummaged through his white messenger bag and produced a small box. He passed it to Marinette, who took it in her slim hands. She untied the red ribbon and removed the silver lid, revealing a silver bracelet.

“Is this..?” She trailed off. Marinette held up the chain, revealing a small ladybug charm dangling off. She turned it over in her hand, noticing an ‘M’ engraved on the ladybug’s stomach.

“I really wanted to get you something that symbolized luck… Then Alya told me about ladybugs. Once she said it, I couldn’t imagine anything that was more fitting for you.” Adrien smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I love it, Adrien!” Marinette immediately put the bracelet on, marveling at it. She noticed that the back of the ladybug had small jewels adorning the wings. She hoped they weren’t real rubies; she would feel really guilty if he’d gotten her an expensive gift. The personalized ‘M’ sort of gave that away, though.

“I’m glad.” He flashed one of his signature camera-ready smiles. “I also thought it matched Tikki, with her black spots and all.”

“You’ve got good intuition, Adrien,” the red sprite spoke, “All of us gods are symbolized by an earthly creature. Mine is the ladybug.”

“I’ve got the cat,” said Plagg.

“Is that why you two look similar?” Marinette asked.

“Yep!” Tikki nodded, smiling up at the girl. Adrien smiled too, proud of himself for getting something right.

“Adrien,” Marinette said quietly, “Before I forget…”

“Hm?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to…go to dinner tonight.”

Adrien’s eyes went wide. Was she asking what he thought she was? Several beats of silence passed between the two of them before Marinette realized her error.

“Uh! I m-meant with my parents! They’re taking me and Alya out to eat for dinner and I was wondering if you and Nino wanted to join us.”

“Oh… Oh! Yeah, of course! That would be great!” He tried not to sound disappointed, though it was hard. For a second there, he was actually looking forward to the prospect of going on a… date? With Marinette? Damn this curse, it was making it hard for him to think clearly.

“Great! Do you need to ask your dad for permission first?”

“Yeah, I probably should. I’ll text you after I ask him. Though he probably won’t care, we never really do anything for my birthday.”

Marinette felt a pang of sympathy for the blonde teen. Never doing anything special for your birthday? She didn’t know how that could’ve felt. “Well, that changes right now!”

Adrien nodded, trying to hide his excitement. This would be the first time since his mother died that he celebrated his birthday. He glanced at the clock sitting on her desk, noticing how late it was.

“Marinette,” he said, “It’s already one in the morning. We shouldn’t stay up so late.”

“Crap, you’re right.” Marinette began climbing up to her loft, bracelet jingling as she ascended. Adrien watched her go, saddened that they couldn’t talk longer. He didn’t want people getting suspicious if both of them showed up the next day extremely tired.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Adrien,” Marinette called.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

Marinette tossed and turned all night. Ever since that man appeared, she’d had the unshakeable feeling of being watched. How did he know where she lived? Could he appear at any time and send more creatures after her? She didn’t know. Until she did, she couldn’t tell anyone– not even Tikki. The kwami would surely inform Adrien, and she didn’t want to put him in any more danger than she already had. If what the man said was true, they were only coming after her.

The girl stared up at the dark ceiling and attempted to clear her mind, focusing on the quiet breathing coming from the other side of the room. At least Adrien was getting some sleep. She turned her phone on and winced at the bright light, noticing that it was three o’clock. So much for a good night’s rest. Deciding she needed some air, Marinette opened the hatch to her balcony. She closed her eyes as the refreshing night chill washed over her face, giving her goosebumps. Though it was the end of March, the night was still cold. She stepped out of the trapdoor, pulling herself up to the balcony. As she sat on her pink lawn chair, she heard shuffling coming from her room. She turned towards the door just as a blonde head of hair popped out.

“Hey,” Adrien said, “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot on my mind. Sorry if I woke you up.”

“It’s alright, I’m a light sleeper. Probably would’ve woken up eventually.” Adrien sat down on the chair next to her, exhaling loudly. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Marinette chuckled, twisting the hem of her shirt in her small hands. “It’s nothing, just the usual,” she lied. “Why did we have to get stuck with these powers? Why couldn’t we have been born normal humans? Stuff like that.”

Adrien stared at her empathetically. He had thought these things as well, so he couldn’t blame her for feeling like their situation was unfair. It really was. They could’ve grown up like they were supposed to, each with their own races and in their own worlds. None of this “chosen” bullshit. No more dealing with monsters. They could just be Marinette and Adrien, the two completely normal teenagers.

“Still, even if I could change the past, I wouldn’t.” Adrien turned towards the raven-haired girl, who stared back at him with surprise.

“Why not?” She asked.

“Because if we hadn’t been given these powers, we never would have been sent to Earth. And I never would have met you.”

Marinette couldn’t say anything back, only look at him with a dumbfounded expression. His green eyes gazed into hers, a determined look setting into his features. She replayed his words over and over again in her head, trying to deduce their meaning. She wouldn’t want to live without ever meeting him either, though she was unsure why. Her eyes snapped away from his as she fiddled with the ends of her hair.

“I guess you’re right.” She smiled at him, feeling reassured. “Thanks, I feel better now.”

“You’re welcome. Ready to go back to sleep?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

The two headed back down into Marinette’s room, with Adrien climbing down her ladder to the chaise. Marinette fell onto her pillows, finally feeling the day’s exhaustion setting in on her. Adrien’s words still echoed throughout her head, though they grew quieter as she closed her eyes. Within seconds, the girl was sound asleep.

 

* * *

 

“Gooooooood Morning, Pumpkin!”

Marinette was jolted awake by the sound of her father’s voice. She looked over at her parents, who were standing at the foot of her bed with a tray of food.

“Morning!” She said a little too enthusiastically. If there was one thing Marinette loved, it was breakfast in bed. She took the tray from her dad as her eyes scanned her food. Chocolate chip pancakes, fruit, hot chocolate, and a croissant sat upon pristine white plates, awaiting her hungry stomach.

“Happy birthday, honey,” her mother said, smiling at her.

“Thanks! I’m starving.” She took the croissant in her mouth first, taking a bigger bite than she probably should.

“I can see that,” Tom chuckled. “Oh, Alya called. She needed to know what time you wanted to leave for dinner.”

“Oh! I’ll text her then.” As she pulled her phone out from under the pillows, she remembered the events from the previous night. “By the way, I invited Adrien. It’s his birthday too. Is that okay?”

“Of course, Marinette!” Sabine exclaimed, “The more, the merrier!”

Soon after that, her parents left her to eat her breakfast. She texted Alya through the group chat, just in case Nino or Adrien needed the info too.

 

 **_Marinette 7:03 AM:_** _Hey Alya, my dad said you needed the time for dinner. I was thinking about 5:30. Sound good?_

 **_Nino 7:04 AM:_ ** _Mornin, ‘nette. What’s this about dinner?_

 **_Marinette 7:05 AM:_ ** _Hey Nino. We’re heading to dinner for Adrien and I’s birthday. Wanna come?_

 **_Nino 7:06 AM:_ ** _Sure! :D_

 **_Alya 7:06 AM:_ ** _Thanks Mari, I’ll let my parents know. So the boy toy is coming too?_

 **_Marinette 7:07 AM:_ ** _idk, he has to ask his dad first._

 **_Marinette 7:07 AM:_ ** _Wait, BOY TOY??_

 **_Alya 7:08 AM:_ ** _;)_

 **_Adrien 7:08 AM:_ ** _You rang? c:_

 **_Marinette 7:09 AM:_ ** _Don’t encourage it._

 **_Adrien 7:10 AM:_ ** _Psh, you’re just jealous that I’m so desirable. :P_

 **_Marinette 7:11 AM:_ ** _Shut up. >.< _

**_Adrien 7:12 AM:_ ** _Lol. Anyways, I still gotta ask him. I’ll let you know how it goes._

 **_Marinette 7:12 AM:_ ** _K._

 

* * *

 

Adrien exited his room into the cold hallway, heading towards his father’s office. When he arrived, the door was shut tightly. He knocked, listening for his father’s voice on the other side.

“Enter.”

Adrien swung the door open, noticing Gabriel sitting at the large desk. The teen cleared his throat, standing tall. “Good morning, Father. I have a request.”

“What is it, Adrien? I’m very busy at the moment.” Gabriel didn’t look up from his paperwork, reading glasses balancing on the tip of his nose.

“My friend, Marinette, has the same birthday as me. Her parents are taking her out to dinner and she invited me to come with. I would like your permission to go.”

Gabriel finally looked at his son, icy blue eyes peeking over the rim of his glasses. He studied Adrien carefully, and the blonde felt his chances dwindling by the second.

“Alright. But don’t stay out late. You have a photo shoot tomorrow afternoon and I can’t afford for you to be sluggish.”

Adrien’s eyes went wide. “R-really?” He asked, astonished. “Thank you! Thank you, Father.”

Gabriel merely grunted as Adrien left the room, eyes returning to his work.

 

 **_Adrien 7:20 AM:_ ** _He said yes! :D_

 **_Nino 7:22 AM:_ ** _Holy shit dude. Really?_

 **_Adrien 7:23 AM:_ ** _I know, I'm as surprised as you are._

 **_Marinette 7:24 AM:_ ** _Awesome! I’ll tell my parents. :3_

 **_Adrien 7:30 AM:_ ** _Okay. Where are we going to eat again?_

 

* * *

 

Three of the six people attending dinner stood outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery waiting for the females of the group. Adrien stood patiently while Nino fiddled with the cuff of his rented suit. The teens had no idea where they were going, only that they should dress _very_ nicely. Alya had come with Nino, so she was ready before she got there. Marinette was having wardrobe malfunctions, though, and needed her help. Meanwhile, Sabine was finishing her makeup, taking as much time as humanly possible.

“Mari, I don’t think this zipper is going to be fixed in time.” Alya held the pastel pink dress Marinette had chosen in her hands, a tiny piece of metal pinched between her fingers.

“But it’s my favorite dress!” Marinette complained, “I really wanted to wear it tonight…”  
“Girl, don’t worry. We’ll find you something that’s ten times better.” The brunette stood and crossed the room to Marinette’s wardrobe, opening the doors to reveal dozens of chic outfits. After scanning for a moment, her eyes fell upon a dress. “This one,” she announced, pulling it from the hanger.

“But that one’s–”

“Perfect?” Alya interrupted, “Yes, I know. Now come on, let’s get you into this thing.”

 

. . .

 

All three women left the building at the same time, no more than ten minutes later. Sabine was wearing a dark blue qípáo with a slit up the side of the skirt, reaching to her knee. Alya had a simple orange spaghetti-strap dress with a yellow ruffled top. They exited the building in front of Marinette, obstructing the men’s view of her. As soon as Adrien saw her, however, his breath caught in his throat.

She was wearing an off-the-shoulder ruby red dress that cut off at her knees. The skirt flared out in a way that almost made it look like she was wearing a rose. The fabric shimmered in the setting sun, casting a red glow upon her face. Her exposed collarbone was adorned with a small opal necklace on a silver chain, the milky surface of the gemstone almost glowing. Her lips were painted as crimson as a candy apple.

“You look amazing, ‘Nette!” Nino exclaimed, marveling at her. “Red really suits you.”

“Thanks, Nino,” Marinette giggled awkwardly, not used to getting compliments. She turned to Adrien, who was staring at her slack-jawed. She brushed her curled hair away from her face in embarrassment and he noticed that she was still wearing the ladybug bracelet on her wrist. He wondered if she had even taken it off. It made him happy that she was wearing it to her birthday dinner, despite that he was also wearing the scarf she made him. He was nearly lost in his thoughts when a hand waved in front of his face.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Blondie?” Alya raised an eyebrow at him, attempting to get his attention. He jumped at the sudden motion and turned towards her. “Damn, I knew I did a good job but I didn’t think she’d throw you into a stupor.”

Adrien cleared his throat and looked back at Marinette–or at least tried to. It was difficult to look her in the eyes without staring for an awkwardly long amount of time, so he mumbled a compliment while looking at the ground. Marinette smiled softly before climbing into the front of her parents’ car. There were just enough seats for all of them, with Marinette seated between her parents.

About fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to the exterior of a restaurant. Marinette tried to see the name of the business, but couldn’t reach the window. Luckily, Alya filled the entire car in on where they were.

“Holy crap!” She exclaimed, “Are we at _La Salle Prospère?!”_

Both Nino and Marinette turned at her words, each with a look of bewilderment on their faces. “What?!” Everyone knew that _La Salle Prospère_ was one of the most luxurious and expensive restaurants in the city, and most people could only afford to go once or twice in their lives if they weren’t filthy rich.

“Yeah, it says it right there!” She leaned forward in her seat over Sabine’s shoulder. “Are we really eating here?”

“Yep! We wanted to make Marinette’s sixteenth birthday special, and she’s always wanted to eat at this restaurant after hearing how amazing the food is.”

Marinette threw her arm around her mother’s neck and pulled her into a hug. “Thank you so much!” A moment later Tom pulled up to the valet parking and everyone climbed out of the car. He handed the man his spare key and the group headed through the revolving glass doors into the grand foyer.

The floors were milky white marble with gold trims and walls to match. A gorgeous chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the whole room and reflecting off the polished floors. There was a staircase that led to the upper levels where the diners ate. Marinette had looked up the building and found that it was actually a converted hotel from the 1920s, complete with nearly all original architecture.

After a man took their coats and placed them in the coat check (something Marinette had never experienced before), a lovely waitress in a black dress led them upstairs to their table. Alya, Nino, and Marinette were all transfixed by the building and decorations, but Adrien seemed to already know where they were going.

“Have you been here before?” Marinette asked the blonde.

“Uhh... yeah. Only once, though–the last Christmas with my mother.”

Marinette decided it was probably best not to dwell on that subject for long, instead choosing to talk about the beautiful building to distract his thoughts. When they arrived at the main dining area, Marinette’s jaw dropped. The spectacular room was previously used as a ballroom, but instead of lavish gowns sweeping across its floors, there were tables with white lace cloths. The chandelier in this room was even more extravagant than the last, nearly twice as big and much more decorative.

They sat down at the table the waitress lead them to as she placed menus in front of them. However, before Marinette could lift the list of food, she noticed a familiar blonde ponytail a few tables away. Chloé Bourgeois sat with her father, Mayor Bourgeois, both eating very ornate meals.

 _Crap,_ she thought, _I really hope she doesn’t notice us. Why, of all days, did she have to choose here to eat?_ Quickly, she pulled the menu up to her face, attempting to hide herself from the snobbish girl.

Luckily, they were able to make it through the appetizers without any problems. However, despite being blessed with luck, Marinette sure was running low on it. Marinette’s parents had gone to the restroom as their meals were being brought out. Just then, Chloé and her father stood to leave. Her blue eyes landed on a similar blonde head of hair and she bounded over to their table.

“Adri-kins!” She squealed, “What are you doing here? I stopped by your house earlier to give you your birthday present but Nathalie said you were out.” She hadn’t noticed Marinette yet, as she was looking in the opposite direction. However, Chloé’s attention couldn’t be captivated by Adrien for too long, and she finally saw the girl in the red dress. “Ugh,” she scoffed, turning her nose up in disgust, “Why are you with her? You know she’s not fit to eat at a place like this.”

“Chloé,” Adrien said sharply, “It’s her birthday. For once in your life, could you just leave her alone?”

Her face went red in embarrassment. “What do you mean, ‘it’s her birthday?’ Isn’t it your birthday today?”

“They were born on the same day,” said Nino, finally joining in.

“I wasn’t asking _you,_ Lahiffe.” She glared at the boy, annoyed that he was speaking to her.

“Aw, how sweet. You remembered my last name.” He batted his eyelashes comically, bringing his hands up to his cheeks in mock bashfulness. Alya chuckled quietly at this, covering her mouth with a hand.

“Still, she’s not of _our_ class. I’ll bet someone like her can’t even afford–”

“Chloé,” Marinette snapped, “If I recall correctly, I didn’t order a glass of your opinion.” Everyone’s eyes went wide at her witty response, even Chloé’s. The tall girl was about to say something back, but Mayor Bourgeois appeared behind her after he’d finished paying for their meals. With a glare that could kill, Chloé and her father left the building, leaving the four teens alone.

“Damn,” Alya clapped her friend on the back, “Mari, I didn’t know you had it in you.” She wiped a fake tear from her cheek and sniffled. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Marinette rolled her eyes at Alya as her parents came back and sat down at the table. No one had touched their food yet thanks to that little distraction, and they all dug in as soon as they could.

 

* * *

 

Chloé sat in the limo next to her father, reapplying her lipstick with her makeup compact. Marinette’s words had stung, not for what she said but who she said it in front of. How dare she attempt to take Adrien away from her! Chloé had never thought of Marinette as a potential rival for Adrien, as the two hadn’t ever spent time together. In fact, it almost seemed like they went out of their ways to avoid one another. But in the last week or so, she had noticed they were spending more time together. Could she really be out to ruin Chloé’s chances with Adrien?

Suddenly, the car went over a bump, and Chloé messed up her makeup. She growled in annoyance and snapped the compact shut, wiping away the misplaced lipstick.

 

She would make Marinette regret crossing her.

 

* * *

 

After their dinner, Marinette’s parents let the teens get ice cream. Luckily, the shop was between all four of their homes, so Tom and Sabine let them hang out by themselves and they could all walk home afterward.

“I know you don’t want us old folks crashing your fun,” Tom said, “so we’ll head home. You guys can all get home safely, right?”

“We should be alright, Mr. Dupain,” Adrien replied politely, “Thank you!”

After her parents had left, Marinette directed the group to her favorite ice cream parlor. She didn’t eat dessert at _La Salle Prospère_ for this reason alone. The ice cream here was the best she’s ever tasted–creamy, rich, and smooth.

They arrived at the 1950’s-style shop a few minutes later, each person ordering their own ice cream. Alya decided on a sorbet, Nino got pistachio, Marinette got her usual–a banana split–, and Adrien got mint chip. Everyone began pulling out their wallets to pay, but Adrien stopped them.

“I got it guys,” he said, handing the cashier his card.

“Dude, you’re emasculating me.” Nino looked slightly hurt but put his wallet away regardless.

“He’s trying to “prove” himself in front of Mari,” Alya smirked, “Just leave him be.”

“I was not!” Adrien exclaimed a little too loudly, “I-it’s just the polite thing to do.” Marinette said nothing and simply took her ice cream. She didn’t want to risk turning this conversation on herself, so she stayed quiet. As they sat and made light conversation, Alya noticed something.

“Hey, Mari,” she said, “Where’d you get that bracelet? It’s really cute.”

“O-oh, um…” She trailed off and looked at Adrien, whose face was flushed a light pink. “Adrien gave it to me.”

“Yeah, and she made me this scarf.” Adrien held out the scarf he was wearing, the teal fabric catching the light.

Alya raised an eyebrow at the two of them. It felt as though she wanted to say something but decided against it. “Speaking of presents, we’ve got some for you two.” Alya pulled two packages out of her purse, Adrien’s a rectangle and Marinette’s a small box. Marinette allowed Adrien to open his first, and despite his refusals, he eventually gave in.

“Woah! You got me _Ultimate Mecha Strike IV?!”_ He said, enthusiastically pulling the recently-released game out of its wrapping paper.

“Yep!” Nino replied, “I remembered you said your dad didn’t let you get it so you could focus on photo shoots and school.”

“Thanks, man! It’s great.” He set the game aside to watch Marinette open her present. She lifted the lid of the small box and found a keychain with a pink ‘M’ pendant attached. The letter was identical to what she had on her purse, sketchbook, and other personalized items.

“Wow, Alya! It’s so cute! Where’d you get it?”

“Had it custom made. Now you can put your initial on anything and remove it easily!”

“I love it!” She clipped the keychain onto her cream-colored clutch and hugged Alya, who returned the gesture.

“Anything for you, girl! Remember that awesome outfit you made me for my birthday? _From scratch?_ I’ll admit it’s a little hard to one-up your presents, Mari.” The group laughed wholeheartedly, knowing that Marinette was probably the best gift-giver any of them had met.

Another 20 minutes of laughing and chatting later, the ice cream parlor was about to close. The group left, saying their goodbyes soon after. Adrien promised to walk Marinette home safely, and the two departed from Alya and Nino.

They began walking to Marinette’s house when Adrien suggested they take the scenic route along the Seine River. She agreed, and they headed down to the lower walkway flush against the river.

“So,” the girl began, “How was your birthday?”

“Amazing, I loved spending the day with you.” He smiled at her before realizing what he said. “I mean–with you, Alya, and Nino. It was fun.”

“Y-yeah. I had fun too.” She turned away from him so he couldn’t see her face. It was unfortunate, she looked very pretty under the full moon. The water reflected the rays of light onto the bottom of the trees they walked under, creating a glowing canopy over their heads. As they walked, Adrien continued to sneak glances at her when she wasn’t looking, trying to get a read on the situation when suddenly, she shivered. He felt a gust of wind blow through his hair and he realized that she didn’t have anything to cover her.

“Marinette, would you like my coat?” He placed a hand on her wrist to keep her from walking off without him.

“No, I’m alright.” Marinette didn’t want to trouble him. They were only a few minutes from her house anyways, she would survive.

“I don’t think it would be very courteous of me to let you freeze.”

“That goes both ways.”

“Touché.” Suddenly, an idea struck him. He unwrapped his scarf and held it out to her. If she wouldn’t take his jacket then she could at least borrow the scarf until they got her home. With a pout, she reached out to grab it, but another sweeping flurry of wind hit them and Adrien lost his grip on the scarf. The dark fabric was launched upwards, curling and twisting in the air currents.

“The scarf!” Marinette cried. She lurched forward to grab it but narrowly missed. The dark-haired girl chased after the fabric as it tumbled down the pathway, occasionally snagging on a tree branch.

“Marinette, slow down!” Adrien called, running behind her to catch up. For someone wearing high heels, she sure could run fast.

“I’ve almost got it!” She yelled back to him, fingers nearly grasping the fabric. Another gust blew the scarf to the side, and Marinette managed to finally capture it in her fingers. She turned her head to where Adrien had been following her but realized she was looking at the sky. Why could she see the stars when she was looking behind her?

 

**_“MARINETTE!”_ **

 

**SPLASH!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, hope you enjoyed that extra long chapter! I hope it makes up for my absence. :c 
> 
> If you did leave a comment/kudos! (I read every comment <3)


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